


Pokemon the Series: Sword & Shield - Galar Royale

by Ayekrusher0901



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Canon Rewrite, Characters Find Out About Satoshi | Ash Ketchum's Adventures, Friendship, Galar-chihou | Galar Region (Pokemon), Gen, Gym Challenges (Pokemon), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pokemon Sword & Shield Expansion Pass: The Crown Tundra, Pokemon Sword & Shield Expansion Pass: The Isle of Armor, Retelling of Pokemon Sword & Shield, Tags Contain Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27914581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayekrusher0901/pseuds/Ayekrusher0901
Summary: A new adventure for Ash and Pikachu has begun when he heads to Galar, where he continues his pursuit of becoming a Pokémon Master by entering the Gym Challenge, with the hopes of having an official match with the reigning Champion, Leon. But he's not the only one - new rivals in the form of a group of skilled Trainers, Hop, Leon's brother who aims to challenge him alongside his faithful Wooloo; Marnie, a veteran Trainer joined by her best friend Morpeko, and Bede, a prideful Trainer with sinister motives - stand in his way as they too strive to become Champion.[An Anime AU that's focused in Galar than the whole Pokemon world, based on the Sword and Shield games.]
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Sonia, Kibana | Raihan/Rurina | Nessa
Comments: 24
Kudos: 66





	1. Clash of the Titans

**Author's Note:**

> For about twenty years, the Pokemon anime has always focused on one region for each season, hasn't it? While Journeys is without a doubt a really refreshing take for the anime, it left me wondering, what if the format had stayed the same? What if Ash never met Goh nor went to Cerise Laboratory? What if Ash had joined the Galarian Gym Challenge instead of the World Coronation Series?
> 
> Reviews and kudos are greatly appreciated; and do think twice before posting - your thoughts and comments may affect how this Anime novelization might turn out!

It was a sunny morning in Pallet town. The light began to illuminate the inside of the Ketchum house, where in a room upstairs, was Ash Ketchum. On a dresser nearby were a few glass cases each containing his previous Gym Badges and Frontier Symbols as well as a series of mementos, such as a golden trophy of a pokeball with white wings, a wooden Teddyursa carving, half of a contest ribbon, a silver bell with some tassels on it, and his Z-Power Ring with an Pikashuium Z equipped.

Sleeping at the foot of a twin-sized bed was a Pikachu, who had a red hat with a black shape of the letter C covering part of its face. The Pikachu slept soundly until the silence was broken by the chirping of an alarm clock on the nightstand beside the bed. The Pikachu awoke with a weary expression as it moved to turn it off, when it was silenced by a still sleeping Ash who threw it at the wall, breaking it...again.

With the alarm clock broken, Pikachu groaned as he resorts to zapping Ash to get him up, but this also fails. Pikachu was getting ready to give up when the door clicked open, and in came Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother who sighed. "Ash, don't you remember you need to get off to the airport with Professor Oak?" 

Brown eyes snapped open as Ash Ketchum awoke in a state of panic. "Mom, why didn't you wake me up?!"

"Because you insisted you could get up on your own!"

A moment later, Ash had rushed out of the door as he slapped his hat on, with Pikachu following close behind.

* * *

"Professor Oak!!" Ash's voice rang out across the lot, loud as usual, and the Professor turned towards it, grinning as his pupil jogged towards him.

"Ash! I was starting to think you wouldn't make it," He teased, voice graveled with age. Ash laughed, playfully glaring at the older man even as his Pikachu hopped up onto the Professor's shoulder.

"I would never miss a battle! I've been wanting to meet him ever since you told me about him and this is the perfect chance!" Bumping a fist to his chest, he puffed it out slightly and Pikachu used Oak as a jumping post to hop to his trainer's shoulder, crying out in agreement and bumping a tiny paw to his tiny chest as well. Oak laughed, eyes fondly rolling at the teen and Pokémon's antics.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Oak grinned. "It's going to be a long flight, y'know!"

* * *

As soon their plane enters Galarian airspace, the lights inside the plane suddenly go out. As a stewardess tries to keep the passengers calm, Ash noticed Pikachu's tail sparking. "Hey, buddy, what's wrong?"

Pikachu didn't respond, instead pressing his face into the window as if it sensed something coming closer. Ash followed his partner's glance and saw something flying past the plane, its form obscured by the clouds. In response, Pikachu's tail sparks a little.

As the Pokémon flies away and its silhouette disappears from view, the lights turn back on. "What was that about, I wonder?" Oak mused.

"I don't know, but it must have been some unknown Pokemon! I can't wait to find out what!"

“You never cease to amaze me with the love you have for all pokemon.” Professor Oak chuckled. “Is it still your goal to be a Pokémon master Ash?"

"You bet, Professor!"

* * *

"It's huge!" Ash exclaimed as he hopped off the bus, looking upwards at the stadium before turning to his partner. "It must be bigger than the stadium in Lumiose, don't you think Pikachu?"

"According to this guidebook, the stadiums in Galar are built to accommodate a unique battle method called Dynamaxing. Trainers apparent are able to make their Pokemon gigantic and use moves unlike no other."

"really? That's so cool!" Ash exclaimed. "Are you ready, Pikachu?"

An excited _'Pi-ka!'_ was his response and he chuckled, rushing up the stairs with his partner in tow. As they got closer to the building, Ash was only even more in awe with it, the size and sight of it stunning. 

He was caught off guard when the sound of barking came from in front of him and he nearly missed a step before he looked down. He made eye contact with a small, yellow and white dog Pokémon that continued to yap away at him even when he acknowledged it, fur raised on end and little bolt tail moving a hundred miles per minute. Excitement bubbled to the surface at the sight of a Pokémon he'd never seen before and he found himself crouching fairly fast, reaching out a hand to pick it up. "Well look at _you_! You're a Pokémon I've never seen before!"

His hand almost made contact when Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder, catching the little dog Pokémon's attention and bringing it to a halt. Ash could only watch in awe as it approached Pikachu and the two began sniffing one another before sparks quite literally began flying between the two. A fond smile curled his lips upwards as he watched his partner begin playing with this strange Pokémon, hands raising to support his head, elbows resting on his knees.

The sound of footsteps rising from behind him wasn't enough to make him look up, though he did begin to speak. 

"Professor, look at-" He cut himself off when he saw someone who was very much so _not_ the professor appeared in his peripheral vision, his gaze rising to see a young woman with orange hair done in a side ponytail at his side. The dog Pokémon looked up when it noticed her arrival and excited barking left it, the Pokémon immediately running towards her and circling her legs. Laughter bubbled from the girl's chest and she smiled down at it, eyes fond even though she didn't try to touch it.

"There you are, Yamper!" The Pokémon - Yamper, Ash made a note to remember - barked happily and looked towards Pikachu once more. It was if when it did that, _that_ was what made the girl finally notice Ash's presence and her form bristled. It was like she shut down, expression unsure, and he found himself smiling slightly, standing and moving to the side to allow her past. He could see the grateful gleam in her eyes as she quickly shuffled past, approaching the building he'd been approaching.

It wasn't until a heavy hand landed on his shoulder that Ash was snapped out of his thoughts, instinctively flinching away for a brief moment, only for him to relax when he saw it was Oak touching him and not some stranger.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I forget sometimes." The professor pulled his hand back, offering the teen an apologetic smile, before looking towards the building. "We should hurry up or we'll be late for the match."

Ash smiled, shaking his head slightly at the apology and following his gaze, voice loud and excited, "Right! Let's go!"

* * *

"Welcome! Welcome, all to Wyndon Stadium!" A brown-skinned man with a grey suit emerged riding on a cube-like elephant Pokemon, followed by a yellow drone that resembled a Rotom. "My name is Rose, and it’s a pleasure to be here. It’s time for Champion Leon’s exhibition match!”

Suddenly, small explosions erupted from the center of the pitch and out came the Champion of Galar, a grinning violet-haired man in sporting attire before he spun around, flinging his cape in the air as he struck a pose. The crowd erupted in cheers as they followed suit. Opposite him, was a trainer with black hair covered by an orange bandana and a hoodie that resembled a dragon's maw and underbelly. “Exhibition or not, Leon, your pristine record is about to end!” He shouted, snapping a selfie as he hurled an Ultra Ball.

"You know I don't lose battles, Raihan!" Leon simply grinned in response before tossing his Pokeball. "Let's have a champion time!"

"Here we go!" A blond man stepped onto the side of the field. "This exhibition match between the challenger, Gym Leader Raihan of Hammerlocke, and the defender Champion Leon of Postwick will now commence! Each combatant may use one Pokemon; the match will start when both Trainers send out their Pokemon!"

"Raihan brings out Duraludon." The announcer said as a metallic dinosaur-like Pokemon landed, while opposite it was a familiar sight of an orange draconic Pokemon. "And Champion Leon has chosen his undisputed ace, Charizard! Three, two, one, **begin!** "

Upon the referee's signal, the match began with Duraludon rushing forward with Night Slash, moving surprisingly fast despite its metal-covered body, and Charizard was hit hard in the gut, before responding by using Brick Break, which Duraludon endured with its impressive defensive capabilities.

"Another Night Slash!"

"Dig!" As Duraludon charged forward with a light purple claw, Charizard spun around rapidly as it dived into the ground before the attack can connect. Even Ash flinched when he saw Duraludon getting uppercut as Charizard burst out, before continuing the assault as it charged forward with a bluish-white fist. Duraludon got ahold of itself and slammed its hands to the ground, sending out sharp light blue rock pillars that dished out super effective damage.

"Duraludon's strong," Leon commented as Charizard tried to get up. "Just as I thought."

"I'll wipe that smile off your face." Raihan gave a fanged grin as he crouched up and down. "Time to finish the match! Steel Beam!"

'We're witnessing one of the strongest Steel-Type moves ever - Steel Beam, a move that sacrifices energy from the Steel-Type Pokemon for a devastating attack!' As Charizard tried to back into the air, Duraludon got on all fours and gathered an orb of bluish silver energy in front of its mouth, skidding back a little from the recoil as the Steel Beam clashed with Flamethrower midway. 'It overpowers Charizard's Flamethrower and makes a direct hit, but even so, Charizard's still on its feet!'

"Still standing strong, eh?" Raihan grinned, seeing Charizard let out a defiant roar. "Then it's time for us to bring the storm! My partner will send everyone in the stadium flying!"

It was then Ash saw something on Raihan's wrist glow red as he recalled Duraludon, before the Pokeball began to grow in size, expanding as he snapped a selfie and tossed it upward. Duraludon remerged bigger and looking different, gaining glass-like plates on its body as it landed. 'And here it is - Gigantamax Duraludon!'

"Very good! I'm not done with this battle, and I forbid anyone to finish it for me either!" Leon grinned before he did the same to Charizard. "Now I'll show you what Charizard can really do! It's Gigantamax time!"

'And Gigantamax Charizard makes its debut!' The announcer called out as Charizard reentered the battle. It too, grew from the energy, with its wings made of burning flame, and gave a triumphant roar upon crashing down. Ash was mesmerized by the two, fidgeting in his seat. 'This battle has turned from a regular battle to a Gigantamax clash!'

"Let the winds blow! Stream forward, Sandstorm! Max Rockfall!" Raihan ordered. With a mighty roar, Gigantamax Duraludon summoned a massive slab of rock that burst from the ground, tall as a skyscraper, which Gigantamax Charizard counters with Max Knuckle, shattering it to pieces that were blocked by the audience barriers and dealing damage to Gigantamax Duraludon. It was still standing, however, and retaliated with Max Steelspike.

"If that's what you want, then let's have a champion time to turn up the heat! Charizard, time for our G-Max Wildfire!" Gigantamax Charizard's fiery wings glowed bright red and yellow before it was fired out as a giant bird-shaped flame that sliced through the spikes and covered Duraludon with fire. The barrage was too much for it to take, and it shrunk down, unconscious.

'Duraludon is unable to continue! The winner is Champion Leon!' The Rotom Drone declared. 

As the crowd cheered, Raihan shook his head as he kneeled down to help Duraludon up. "We're going to need polish our skills at the Gym before rechallenging him, don't we partner?" He mused. Duraludon gave a disappointed grunt as it watched Charizard shrink down to normal and landed next to Leon who had come over.

"It was a great battle, y'know?"

"Whatever." Raihan forced a grin as the two shook hands. "I'm still going to break your winning streak someday. Mark my words."

"And I look forward to it - huh?" That was when a huge crash shook the whole stadium, before the sight of a large cyan snapping turtle with a tank horn caught their eye. "A Gigantamax Drednaw?!"

"That's not good." Raihan muttered as he snapped another photo. "Evacuate the stadium!"


	2. Climb to be the Strongest!

Ash and Professor Oak were among the first few who had been evacuated, though the former was rushing elsewhere - more specifically the source of the problem. He'd never shy away from danger, after all. Oak had somewhat reluctantly followed. They rush outside, where Drednaw has retracted its long neck and looked down on them. "Hey, you gotta calm down!"

Unfortunately, Ash's words irritated the Drednaw as it extended its head nearly biting them if not for Professor Oak, who sent out his Dragonite that knocked them off course. "Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"

"Slow it down with Electroweb!" Although Hyper Beam managed to cause it to stagger, Electroweb ended up momentarily slowing Drednaw down, and it narrowly managed to bite them until it extended its neck to its maximum length, preventing it from chasing them any further.

"Red lights...?" The duo and their Pokémon have stumbled upon a bunch of glowing red cracks in the ground, with red lights flowing out of them and into Pikachu, who is then engulfed by the energy, causing it to swell to enormous proportions before it remerged, now Gigantamaxed.

"It seems that Pikachu has dynamaxed!" Oak commented. All of them, including Pikachu, are surprised by this sudden transformation, but their moment of astonishment is cut short as Drednaw gave another roar. "Now might not be the best time to dwell on this, though!"

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack anyway!" With Pikachu's new, massive form, his usually great speed is reduced to slow lumbering. giving Drednaw to slam its forelegs into the ground, creating a shockwave that shook towards Pikachu, who stumbled back when a strong wave of water bursts out of the ground from underneath him, scattering several glowing rocks and causing Pikachu to hit into the stadium barriers, shaking it and causing panic inside.

As Pikachu tried to stand up, Raihan and Leon came running onto a nearby balcony. "There it - whoa, where did the Pikachu come from?!"

"Think that's its trainer?" Leon pointed to Ash below, who had Pikachu go for an Iron tail. "Wait - it can't be! He's in a Dynamax battle without a Dynamax Band!"

"You kiddin?" Raihan's Rotom Phone immediately snapped a photo before zooming in, confirming Leon's statement. Meanwhile, despite getting hit by the Max Steelspike, Gigantamax Drednaw slammed its forelegs into the ground, causing a giant stone slab to rise from the ground. "That Max Rockfall doesn't look good." Raihan noted, before cupping his hands. "Hey you! Get your Pikachu to use G-max Volt Crash!"

“Raihan? Leon!?” Ash exclaimed in shock.

“Your Pikachu can do it! G-Max Volt Crash!” Leon yelled out.

“Okay! I’ll try it!” Ash called out back to him before turning his attention back to Pikachu, “Pikachu! G-Max Volt Crash!”

As Drednaw slammed its head Pikachu fires a bolt of yellow electricity into the clouds above it. Moments later, multiple bolts of lightning came striking down from the clouds, which not only ends up stopping Max Rockfall in its tracks, but also sent Drednaw flying back. Upon landing, it quickly reverts to its normal form and size.

"Did...did it work?"

"It certainly did." Professor Oak nodded as Pikachu also reverts to normal, while the Champion and the Hammerlocke Gym Leader came down. "Good job, Pikachu." 

"Well, I'll be damned." Raihan chuckled. "What's your name, kid?"

"Uh, I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. This is Professor Oak." Ash introduced himself. "Would you please have a battle with me?"

“You know you can’t Dynamax your Pokemon here, what do you think you’re doing?” A League Staff member called out crossing his arms. Ash stammered, though Leon stepped in.

"Given the circumstances, I believe it was alright. Without them the Stadium would have been destroyed. At least treat them with respect,” Leon stepped in, giving the latter a wink while Raihan chuckled. "Speaking of which, can you reserve the stadium for a private match?"

* * *

Within a few hours, the two lined up with a Rotom Drone at the stadium, with Professor Oak and Raihan sitting from the stands, overseeing the entire battle, as well as a final exchange.

"Here, take this." Leon tossed Ash a blue and red wristband. "It's called a Dynamax Band; I noticed while you were battling against that Drednaw you didn't have one. Trainers usually use one to control Dynamax."

"Dynamax?"

"Here in Galar, our culture is built on Dynamaxing. When a Pokémon Dynamaxes, the names of its moves also change. Normal-type moves become Max Strike, Steel-Type moves become Max Steelspike, and Electric-type moves become Max Lightning, though since your Pikachu can Gigantamax, his Electric moves become G-Max Volt Crash instead. Oh, and I should add, to do so, you have to have the Pokemon you're dynamaxing out, and also have its pokeball next to your bracelet. You'll notice both glowing, and when that happens, return the Pokemon you sent out. The Pokeball will be turned to a Dynamax Ball, and the Pokemon inside will be dynamaxed when you send it out."

"Huh. Pikachu hates going into his Poké Ball." Ash remarked as he put it on. "But I'm sure we'll find a way to manage."

"Suit yourselves, although I should warn you, Ash." Leon grinned as a Rotom Drone descended. "Pikachu may have a type advantage, but when it comes to Charizard and Champion Leon, we never lose!"

As the Rotom Drone started the battle, Pikachu charged with Quick Attack and followed up with an Iron Tail, but both attacks were blocked by Brick Break. Ash gritted his teeth before going on the defensive, calling for an Electroweb.

"You can't stop us! Use Air Slash!" Charizard's wings glowed light blue as it ascended into the air. It then flapped its wings, firing off multiple light-blue glowing blades of energy that sliced clean through the electricity and landing a direct hit. Despite of this, Pikachu is still standing strong, and Ash has him use Thunderbolt. Charizard answers by using Flamethrower which, after a moment of clashing between the two, starts pushing the Thunderbolt back, leaving Pikachu with only a struggling barrier of electricity to protect him from the flames. 

"Come on, Pikachu! Don't give up!" Fueled by Ash's determination, Pikachu started applying more power into his attack, slowly pushing back the Flamethrower. Responding to this, Ash's Dynamax Band started to glow and sent Dynamax energy into Pikachu, causing him to start growing again. As the Gigantamax process takes effect, Thunderbolt is transformed into G-Max Volt Crash, overpowering Flamethrower and actually managed to hit Charizard, knocking it to the ground as sparks of electricity showered around its body. "Wow! We achieved Gigantamax!"

"True." Leon responded as he recalled his Charizard. "But you're forgetting Ash, so can we! This is what I call, a real champion time!" 

Ash watched as Gigantamax Charizard remerged, and felt his heart racing again. "Alright Pikachu, use Max Strike!"

"Charizard, dodge and use Max Airstream." Gigantamax Charizard jumped back from the column of yellow energy bursting from the ground before unleashing a powerful swirling blast of wind that had Pikachu skidding back to the wall, nearly trampling Ash. Ash called for a Max Steelspike, which was blocked by Charizard's Max Knuckle, shearing off the jagged grey spikes and narrowly missing Pikachu.

"Let's go all out! Pikachu, G-Max Volt Crash!" 

"Now let's enjoy the final climax! Charizard, use G-Max Wildfire!" 

Both G-Max moves connected with their target, but while Charizard manages to endure the Electric attack, G-Max Wildfire's secondary effect of continuous damage proved to be too much for Pikachu to handle, and he shrinks back down, defeated. 

"Pikachu, you were awesome out there." Ash comforted his partner who gave a weak 'pika'. "Thanks for going all out on me."

"Battles aren't fun unless both Trainers and Pokemon take them seriously." Leon came over, reverting his Charizard to its normal size and form. "Though I hope you can have some more entertainment value for the audience's sake, y'know?" 

"I guess you're right." Ash nodded, and handed out his Dynamax Band. "Thanks for letting me use this."

"You hold on to that." Leon dismissed to Ash's surprise. "I like Trainers with rough edges like you, but if you really want to satisfy me, I want to 'break out'!"

"Break out?"

“Do your best, push your limits, cause you have the potential alright.” Raihan explained as he walked over with his hand in his pockets, his Rotom Phone snapping photos of Ash. “Actually, given that battle, I'd say you might even be a challenge for _me_ \- and they say I could be a Champion somewhere else if I wanted. C'mon Leon, Hop might be getting rifled up if you spent too long."

"Augh right. Don't need my 'legendary sense of direction' getting chewed out again..."

As the two Galarian Trainers headed forwards the exit, Ash had one last thing. “Leon! Let me have a battle with you in the future, okay!?”

Leon stopped for a moment, turning back and tipped his hat with a grin. “The next time we’ll battle, it'll be in a tournament Ash!”

As the two exited the stadium, Ash let out a cry of excitement, “I’ve decided! I’m going to battle Leon again, no matter what! And I’m going to win it too!” Ash jumped out in excitement, turning back to look at the stadium one more time, imagining himself facing Leon in front of a huge, cheering crowd. “That’ll be my next step into becoming a Pokémon Master!”


	3. A Hop n' skip and here we go!

Postwick was a small and quiet town that had at most fifteen people living in it. Cultivated fields and green pastures spread out far and wide, filled with the flocks of Wooloo and the occasional murder of Rookidee fluttering over. Among the things that did make it worthy of interest was the dense, dark forest right next to the town known as the Slumbering Weald. Rumors floated around about a mysterious Pokémon sighted in the heart of the forest, though the mist was so thick within that no one could confirm or deny it; the other thing was that it was the hometown of the Champion, but other than that, it was just Postwick, quiet and quaint.

Well, today was one of the days when it wasn't.

"Oh man, we're are sooooo late!" Hop yelled as he raced from his home as fast as his legs could, down the dirt path to the neighboring town of Wedgehurst. "Of all the things I could have missed, I had to have forgotten Lee's endorsement!"

It was true, today was the most important day of his life so far, the day that he set out to start his Gym Challenge, competing against the eight Gym Leaders to collect their Badges, and competing in the Wyndon Conference for the chance to compete against the champ and prove his worth as Trainer.

Well, at least that's what his mum hammered into his head ever since Lee came back.

Running - actually, _rolling_ next to him - was his partner Wooloo, an adorable sheep Pokemon that, from a distance, could easily be mistaken for a large fluffy cotton ball. A little known fact was that it had been the first Pokémon Lee had ever caught, back when he had first started out his Gym Challenge. A distraught Hop had snuck into Lee's bag, relenting on the condition that he walked with him to Wedgehurst, and it was through the tall grass where they had their fateful encounter.

"A ticket to Motostoke, please!" He gasped, finally reaching the train station while Wooloo had spiraled out of sight.

The attendant waited for him to catch his breath, before patiently telling him that the last train had just departed, to his dismay. The next one, unfortunately, wouldn't depart until the next day.

"Great, guess we're taking the train tomorrow, Wooloo." He sighed, when he realized that his partner wasn't next to him. "Wooloo?"

"Pika pi!" There was a mild commotion further inside, and Hop had an inking of what had happened. Sure enough, a dizzy Wooloo was getting up next to a young man with a blue vest with yellow outlines, a red shirt with long sleeves, black fingerless gloves with a blue line across the cuff, ripped blue jeans with black outlines and black sneakers with red highlights. Next to them was a Pikachu who seemed embarrassed over the whole thing, and to be honest, Hop felt so too.

* * *

"Thanks for the scones, Hop!" Ash Ketchum exclaimed as he dug in. "Mmm...they're good!"

"It's the least I can do after my Wooloo rammed into you." He chuckled as he sat down, ignoring Wooloo's feeble 'behs' of protest. "So, Ash, you mentioned that you're from Pallet Town - that's all the way in Kanto as far as I'm aware; what brings you to Galar?"

"Well, I originally came here to see this match between Leon and Raihan." Ash didn't notice Hop's eyebrows rise in surprise for a moment. "And then there was this giant Pokemon that was attacking the stadium! Me and Pikachu helped stop it, and then I got to battle Leon!"

Hop's eyes widened as he leaned back in his chair, looking to his partner and turning back to Ash. "Did you now?" 

"Yup! He even gave me this Dynamax Band!" Ash pulled down his sleeve to reveal his Dynamax Band. "It was so cool! We even got to, uh... what was it, oh yeah! We even got to use Gigantamax!"

"No way." Hop's eyes looked as if they were ready to fall out, scrambling for a better look. "Those Dynamax Bands are quite rare! Only a few Gym Challengers even have them!"

"We battled real hard, though we couldn't beat him," Ash admitted, pulling back up his sleeve. "Then he promised that we could battle someday in the future in a tournament. I figured that since Leon is the champion, I could join the regional league for a chance. But then I just found out from Nurse Joy that it works differently than what I expected..."

"Yeah, our Gym Challenge is real rough." Hop leaned back. "We don't even have an Elite Four like other regions, heck, you need to get endorsed to even be eligible for competing."

"...Endorsed?" 

"Yup." Hop paused momentarily to finish his scone. "You have to be endorsed by a respected trainer. And funnily enough..." Ash's jaw dropped as he watched Hop pull out the sealed letter from his bag, with Wooloo bleating proudly. "...I happen to know one who just so happened to have given me _my_ endorsement."

"No way!" Ash's eyes sparkling with renewed hope, before he suddenly stood up. "Do you think I could get one from them too?"

"I don't see why not." Hop had to admit, he was curious about this trainer who had impressed his brother. Maybe he'd be able to find out more. 

* * *

The Pokémon Research lab wasn't as grand as Professor Oak's, but it didn't take away any excitement from Ash as he stepped inside. There were two levels, the first being filled with strange beeping contraptions and desks, the second lined entirely with shelves and shelves of tomes, each one thicker than the next. As they went further in the room, they were greeted by the quiet barks of a Yamper behind a stack of books. It barked at Hop again, momentarily standing on its back legs and waving its front paws in the air before running up to him.

“Hey, boy!” Hop cooed, kneeling down to scratch the small Pokémon behind his ears. "Mind showing us where's Lee...?"

“What have I said about barging in, Hop! There’s a thing called knocking!” An rather annoyed voice came loudly, before an elderly woman in a labcoat and a cane with some sort of bird Pokémon slowly hobbled over. 

“Sorry about that, Professor Magnolia!" Hop grinned sheepishly. "Find out anything brilliant about Dynamax?”

"Don't you change the subject." The woman, Professor Magnolia, turned her glance at the other Trainer in the room. “And who is your new friend here?”

"Uh, I'm Ash Ketchum - I'm from Pallet Town in the Kanto region; and this is my good buddy Pikachu!" Pikachu let out a friendly 'pika' in response. "Nice to meet you!"

"You wouldn't happen to also be the same Ash Ketchum who won the first Manalo Conference, would you?" The Professor walked up to Ash and scanned him for a moment, before eventually extending her hand for him to shake. "In that case, welcome to Galar. I've read many things about you."

"Uh, thanks!" Ash hesitantly returned the gesture. "Nothing bad, I hope?"

"You're the official champion of Alola. If there's anything bad about you then you've either hidden it well and the press hasn't discovered, or not worth telling others. What brings you to my lab?"

"Well, long story short, me and Pikachu were going to start a new journey here, take part in the Gym Challenge, that kind of stuff." Ash looked back at Hop, who was having a mild breakdown over Ash's status as a Champion. "But then I just found out from Hop that things work way differently compared to the other regions I've been.”

"Just like Hop, aren't you? Always going on about Pokémon battling.” Magnolia chided, shaking her head. “There are other things that are worth knowing about, too, you know. For instance, the best type of tea!”

Ash was tempted to ask Magnolia was the best type of tea was, but before he could, the door opened again and a familiar woman stepped in. “Hey, Gran, You got here awfully early, and with Hop and - oh! You're that Trainer with the Pikachu!”

"Wait, you've met?" Hop seemed more annoyed than anything before shaking it off. "By the way, where's Lee? I've got a favor to ask him!" 

"Oh, you're too late. Just walked him over to the train to Wyndon. He's got a meeting with Rose again, something about an incident with a wild Gigantamax Drednaw." Ash could have swore he saw the faintest glimmer of...bitterness, maybe...in Sonia’s eyes as she spoke. "I thought you asked him everything last night?"

"True, but it's not about me. It's about Ash here." Suddenly all attention was back on Ash. "I was hoping to convince Lee he should endorse Ash for the Gym Challenge, seeing as he's the one who gave Ash his Dynamax Band! That really sucks...”

"Very well. If your brother can't endorse the boy..." Magnolia walked towards her desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a envelope and a piece of parchment. "...then I will."

"What?!" Sonia looked flabbergasted. "Gran, you can't be serious!"

"But I am." Magnolia pulled out a pen and began writing. "The boy's competed in more conferences than you think, Sonia. He's not some youngster who's going to stall in the beginning, with a bit of experience, I daresay he could surpass your man-candy in due time." Sonia's face flushed red and began stammering. "However," Magnolia sealed the letter. "Before I can officially endorse you, I'm rather interested in seeing how you battle."

* * *

Hop had to admit, he was expecting the Professor to be kidding. However, here he was, getting ready to face off against this Champion of the Alola region. Despite this, he felt excited. How many could say they faced off a Champion? Let alone a foreign one on the first day of their Pokemon training?

Ash, on the other hand, stood confidently on his side of the clearing, looking up Wooloo on the Rotom Phone Magnolia gave him, with Pikachu holding himself with a sense of confidence in the way that, without even looking back at Ash, conveyed his readiness to go and battle. Magnolia stood over the side, overseeing the battle with a strict glare. “Go on dearie,” Magnolia put her hands on her cane. “I want to see what that Pikachu of yours can do.”

"Thanks!" Ash adjusted his hat with a smile, and gave his first command. "Pikachu, let's start things off with Iron Tail!"

"Defense Curl!" Wooloo curled into a ball, with a blue aura appearing around its body to show the increase of his defenses, and his Fluffy wool heavily reduced the impact when Pikachu slammed his tail into it. Wooloo bounced backwards, then uncurled and slid to a stop. "Nice try, but your physical attacks are pretty much worthless against us! Payback!"

Wooloo's body was surrounded by a red-and-black aura before slamming back with incredible force. Pikachu stopped his momentum by digging his tail into the ground before responding with Quick Attack, which sent the sheep Pokemon skidding back like a cotton ball in the wind, leaving it wide open to a followed up Thunderbolt. 

"You're pretty good, Wooloo's obviously been raised well." Ash gave Hop an appraising look as Wooloo got up, shaking off the static in his wool and let out a shaky, yet defiant beh. "I reckon you could go far with some training."

"You're right, Ash. And that's why I'm going to win this! Stomp!" 

Wooloo bleated and reared up, prepared to stomp on Pikachu, finally landing a direct hit. Ash was unphased and merely smiled, calling for an Iron Tail that finally took it out. "Oops, put a little too much power into that one," Ash said, coming over to pet Pikachu. "Still, good job, Pikachu."

"Well, that was a shock! Guess I know now why Lee thought to give you a Dynamax Band..." Hop muttered that last part under his breath. "Well, that settles it! You're now my rival, got it? We are going to train up against one another to aim for that Champion’s Cup!”

Wooloo interrupted them as he suddenly glanced up. Everyone turned to see a bright ball streaking across the sky, purple from the setting sun, landing a few feet away from them in a smoking crater. “Huh?! What is that?” Ash asked as he and Hop rushed to see.

“A Wishing Star.” Ash heard Magnolia behind her. “They are said to fall down to those who bear earnest wishes in their hearts, though they're nothing useful in that state, Hop." She plucked the small, sparkling stone out of Hop's hands. "I'll have that sorted out for you by the time of the Opening Ceremony.”

"This is it! My legend begins!" Hop declared, before cupping his hands to his mouth. “I will be the greatest trainer ever! I WILL be the greatest trainer ever! I. WILL. BE. THE GREATEST. **TRAINER. EVER!** "

Most of Wedgehurst had opened their windows to see who was making the noise, but Hop didn't care. He had Wooloo, a worthy rival, and soon, his very own Dynamax Band. What more could one ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part took me quite awhile to put down; among the ideas I briefly entertained were Hop and Wooloo challenging Ash and Pikachu so that the latter could get endorsed by Leon that would get interrupted by Team Rocket, Magnolia battling Ash herself, and Leon getting frisky with Sonia when Ash arrived. I do think this could have been executed better, but I'm not a professional.
> 
> By the way, since I'm starting to see comment about it, let it be known that I've already got almost every major Trainer's team in this fic planned out, including Ash's. However, there are a few details that I'll be asking you folk to decide when they become relevant.  
> On a related note, if anyone wants to have an OC featured, I'll be more than happy to oblige; writing the filler episodes are becoming somewhat of a problem, after all. Format's trainer name, pronouns, personality, hometown(You're welcome to 'invent' a Galarian city/town, only condition is you specify where it's located), and at least one Pokémon, in that order. Keep in mind I have a general idea for the story arcs, so these characters are most likely going to be characters of the day  
> and might undergo minor alterations unless they're well received, please don't be mad if it yours doesn't make the cut.


	4. The Slumbering Weald

To say Ash was impressed by the sight of the Wild Area was an understatement.

"It's massive!" Ash's eyes were glued to the window of the train, wide in awe as they watched the green fields that seemed to have no end flying past. Herds of Wooloo grazed peacefully, before a Yamper nipped at their heels to move them along.

"Calm down, Ash." Hop shook his head. "I swear, the way you're looking at this like you've never been out."

"But look at it! I've never seen anywhere that's as large as this!" Ash raised his fist to the air. "We're gonna have a fun time, aren't we Pikachu?"

The train suddenly stopped, causing Ash to lose his balance and faceplanted onto the floor. “What’s going on? We can’t be there already!” The passengers onboard looked around in confusion until a voice came across the PA. 'Attention passengers. We have stopped near the Slumbering Weld due to thick fog and what appears to be a Snorlax sleeping on the rails. We will not be able to proceed until we have resolved all issues, which will take an undetermined amount of time.'

"Come on!" The passengers erupted in complaints amidst their anger and annoyance, but quieted when the conductor spoke again.

“We will provide accommodations for everyone until we can get running again. We are also in communications with the Corviknight Taxi service to escort our most vulnerable passengers to the nearest town, however that journey will be several hours in length. We will also be opening some of our doors to let you stretch your legs. Once again, we apologize deeply for the inconvenience.”

"Man, that sucks. Just when we're so close as well..." Hop grumbled, before a loud bleat interrupted his thoughts. "Wooloo, what's-"

The sight of a dark blue bird Pokémon with its yellow underbelly separated by a black feathered stripe that gave it a mask-like appearance eating their scones stunned the two into silence, before promptly recovering. "A Rookidee?!" Hop exclaimed, as Ash grabbed his Rotom Phone and looked it up.

'Rookidee, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. A Flying-Type. Jumping nimbly about, this small-bodied Pokémon goes around bravely challenging any opponent, no matter how powerful.'

Quickly realizing that it had been caught, the Rookidee gave a loud caw before snatching as many scones as it could and hopped out of the open window, with rather slow speed due to the extra weight. "Hey! Get back here!"

Ash and Pikachu quickly rushed out of their compartment, followed by a bewildered Hop. The two dashed out of the train as the Rookidee half hopped and half flew past the fence and into the nearby forest, gobbling its stolen loot. Ash moved to climb over the fence, only to be stopped by Hop. "Hey! Let me go!"

"Ash, that's the Slumbering Weald - it's off-limits, nobody's supposed to go in there! I remember Lee heading in once and coming back in a real state... and that was nothing compared to the earful he got from our mum and Sonia afterward!"

"I don't care! No one gets away from stealing my food!"

"Ugh! Why did I get the feeling he'd still go in..." Hop sighed before looking at Wooloo who also sighed. "Ash, wait for me!"

* * *

"Where did it go?" Ash squinted his eyes s he tried to look through the fog. "This fog's thicker than I thought..."

"Ash! Up on that tree!" Ash followed Hop's hand and saw the Rookidee greedily finishing up the scones it had stolen.

"There you are, I'm going to catch you for those scones!" Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and shouted a battle cry, attracting the Rookidee's attention who scoffed down the scones and laughed at the two.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Rookidee's eyes widened the moment it saw the bolt of electricity incoming, and hopped onto another branch in the nick of time. Taking a moment to admire the power of the Electric attack, Rookidee gave a defiant caw, angled its wings and flew directly at Pikachu with a glowing beak.

"Dodge it and use Iron Tail!" Pikachu jumped clean over Rookidee just before the Peck could make contact, though Rookidee wasn't done. Its claws extended and glowed red as it spun around, with an orange glow shooting up along its body signifying the increase of its attack power and accuracy, and made contact the second time, following up with Rock Smash, smacking Pikachu several times with a glowing red wing.

"I know you can do it, Pikachu!" Ash calls out, giving Pikachu the will needed to land the Iron Tail, sending Rookidee into a nearby tree hard enough to leave a dent in the bark. Ash took the chance to throw the PokéBall, hitting Rookidee on the forehead before it went in. 

The two of them looked still as the Pokeball kept shaking, and Ash was briefly surprised when the Rookidee emerged, looking annoyed and immediately going on the attack with another Rock Smash. Pikachu leapt to escape before delivering a direct Electroweb at his target. As Rookidee was entangled in the electric web, Ash took a deep breath as he prepared his Pokeball again, finally catching the Tiny Bird Pokemon.

"Yes!" Ash grinned as he picked up the Pokeball. "Now...how do we head back?"

"Great..." Hop smacked his face as he took out his Rotom Phone. "Ugh, and the signal's weak. Let's see..."

_Crunch. Crunch._

Hop came to an abrupt halt, and his voice hushed to a whisper. “... What was that?”

Ash stopped, straining to make out the sounds.

Footsteps. Coming towards them, growing louder and louder.

Until it stopped.

There was a tense silence as the two tried to find whatever had come close, and a shiver went up Ash’s spine as he _felt_ a shadow loom over them. They spun around to face the source, and it took everything they had to not scream _._

It was a pair of wolf Pokemon - large enough to dwarf them easily. Both of their pelts were addled with scars, and one of their ears were missing their top. But of most note were their eyes - glowing eyes that pierced through the fog and had their sights set upon them.

One of them, the one with blue fur and two pink fringes of fur present on its back, growled at Pikachu and Wooloo in warning who rushed out in front of them to protect them. Hop nearly tripped as he stumbled back, his hand shaking as he raised his Rotom Phone and tried to scan it, only for nothing showed up. "No data?!" Hop gasped, just as the other, mystery Pokémon let out a haunting howl and leapt at them.

"Just what I hoped for!" Ash grinned as he and Pikachu leapt to the side, turning his cap. "Let's battle! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's cheek sparked as he unleashed a Thunderbolt, but the move had no effect, in fact passing right through the Pokemon whose gaze fixed on them. 

“It didn't do a thing!” Ash gritted his teeth and ordered an Electroweb while Hop called for a Stomp, which still did nothing. The Pokemon howled again, its eyes glowing white, and a thick white fog rolled into the clearing. Ash squinted to try and get a better look at the opponent, but he could not see. 

"Ash! I can't see anything! You okay?" He heard Hop's panicked shout. "Ash! Say something-!"

That was the last thing he could recall, before his vision went dark.

* * *

Meanwhile, a trio Team Rocket has been wandering around all night, collapsing from exhaustion. “Who'd have thought..."

"...That the large Drednaw that chased us..."

"...couldn't be chased back!"

"Wobbuffet!" the Patient Pokemon popped out again.

"You're one to talk! You stayed in your Pokeball for the whole time!"

The Team Rocket Trio sighed again, before James leapt up with a yelp, causing Meowth to almost fall off of his shoulder. pointing at Jessie's hair. Turning around, they noticed a turtle Pokemon, whom was known as a Yamper according to what James had said earlier, biting at her hair, seemingly in an attempt to climb up it.

Jessie obviously freaked out, like most would if they saw something, which caused Meowth to fall off. Long story short, an odd cycle of began, and was only stopped by a pokeball hitting the Chewtle’s head, which barely managed to not hit Meowth instead. Surprisingly, Chewtle remained inside, which caused Meowth to let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright! One small step for Jessie, one big step for Team Rocket!"

* * *

Ash slowly opened his eyes as he felt something pushing on his cheek. In front of him, Pikachu was trying to shake him awake. He smiled and sat up, looking over and seeing Wooloo doing the same with Hop. He patted his head and looked around, the mystery Pokemon nowhere to be found. “Hey, you okay?”

“Tired as the Distortion World, but alright otherwise." Hop, although shaken, nodded as he got to his feet. "What was...that? I’ve never seen anything like that before!”

“Was it a Pokémon?”

“Maybe - there were always stories about a mysterious Pokémon hidden in here, but I never thought it was real…” Golden eyes glitter with excitement, and Hop’s lips split into a grin. “We might have just seen something Legendary, Ash!”

“You'd think a legendary would drop us off a little more gracefully.” Ash brushed bits of grass from his hair, before realization struck him. "Wait, how are we getting back to the train?!" 

Hop looked around the area as her senses sharpened; they seem to have been moved to some kind of clearing in the forest. “Where are we even?”

“Dunno - still in the Slumbering Weald.” Hop raised his arms above his head and stretched. “And - hey! I think that's the Motostoke Outskirts over there! That legendary must be nice enough to have brought us closer?"

"Whatever, I'm not complaining!" Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder as he ran off. "Motostoke, here we come!"

As the two trainers ran off to the fields, the two wolves from before emerged from the woods behind, watching as they left. Nodding to each other once more, they let out a final howl, and vanished into the incoming fog.


	5. An encounter with Scorbunny!

At the Battle Cafe, the Cafe Master Jack was busying serving customers. Beside him was his Indeedee, who was levitating dishes around diligantly. Unbeknownst to them, a group of reddish brown fox Pokemon with brush-like tails had snuck in. Quickly, they began stealing food items from the shelves.

"Hey!" Jack shouted, finally seeing the theft. He tried to get them, but they all squirmed out of his grasp, much to his frustration. "Come back here!"

Moments later, a blond, chubby man in a cyan uniform and a yellow dog Pokémon with minty green limbs and a lightning bolt shaped tail arrived. "'Ello, what's this about?"

"Officer Bobby! Those Nickit are at it again!" 

"Boltund, you know the drill." The officer sighed. Boltund barked before sniffing the ground, picking up a scent and took off.

The Nickit yelped upon seeing the larger Pokemon intercept them. One even dropped its loot in fear.

And then they smelled the smoke.

"Bolt?" It turned around and yelped - next to it was a muddy bunny Pokemon who had one feet against its tail. In Boltund's haste, it had become unaware of the heat that had been pressed to its tail.

The Nickit cheered as Boltund scammed away, looking for water. A snarl echoed from above, and the Nickit immediately scattered. The bunny looked disappointed as it leapt up, back to its parent. "Scor! Scorbunny!"

"Vul." The bigger fox shook its head and turned to leave, followed by the pouting bunny.

* * *

Even though he was no stranger to conference stadiums before, Ash had to contain himself as he saw the sheer amount of people milling about.

“Look at that… the place is packed with challengers! Every one of these folks is another rival!” Hop looked around as he came in front of Ash, paused to catch his breath. “Let’s get-”

"Hopscotch!" Hop screamed slightly when he was suddenly picked up and hugged tightly from behind by none other than Leon, followed by none other than Charizard who had also picked up Wooloo. “It's great to see you! How are you?!" 

Hop turned red when as he squirmed in Leon's arms, embarrassed that his brother would do this in public. Ash chuckled awkwardly next to him and that's when Leon finally saw his brother's companion.

"Ash! What are you doing here?"

"I, er...I'm here to join the Gym Challenge...?"

"But how? You need an endorsement to do so-"

"Professor Magnolia gave him hers, Lee." Hop finally got down to the ground. "I wanted you to endorse him, but you left before we could find you."

Leon was dumbstruck, before Charizard finally set down Wooloo and nudged his Trainer, reminding them that they were in public. "Well, congratulations. Come on, let's get you...two...registered."

They headed over to the registration desk, where the League Staff responsible for registration was clearly surprised by Leon's presence. “Champion...what are you doing here?" 

"Oh, I'm just here to see the Trainer I endorsed get signed in." The League Staff was clearly shocked, even with his eyes hidden behind his glasses as he took hold of the letter of endorsement. Hop grinned and put his thumbs in his pockets as Leon put his hands on Hop's shoulders. “This is Hop! My little brother – and in fact, the one to be the next Champion! Get him all signed up, would you?”

“W-well, yes, I’m trying to... let’s see...” The man stuttered, punching some keys on his computer as sweat dripped from his brow. "Alright, and can I have your uniform number?"

"Uniforms?" Ash asked.

"Yeah - here in Galar, Gyms Battles are something of a formal event." Leon explained, turning back to Ash. "You got to book your battles beforehand and wear a uniform for every Gym Battle."

“Alright, you have been registered.” The League Staff continued, wiping off the sweat off his brow. “The opening ceremony will be held here tomorrow. All the Trainers taking part have been booked a room at the nearby Budew Drop Inn.”

“Woohoo! That’s Rose for you!" Leon clasped Hop in the back while Charizard let out a happy growl, they must have finished registration. "C’mon, you must be starving. I know a place that's good! C'mon!”

Ash couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the siblings rushing down the lobby, with Leon carrying Hop and Charizard carrying Wooloo, before he turned back to the League Staff and handed over his endorsement. "Alright, here's mine!"

"A foreigner endorsed by the Professor?!" The League Staff did a double take as he opened the letter. "This year's Gym Challenge is going to be interesting..."

* * *

Outsider the Battle Cafe, the three are enjoying various kinds of curry with their Pokémon as they talked. 

"I'll admit, if I had known you were that strong, I'd have given you an endorsement right on the spot as well." Leon nervously chuckled. "I thought you might join the Gym Challenge a year later or two."

"You've really been to that many regions? And that many conferences?" Hop asked, eyes sparkling.

"Yup. All of them with Pikachu here." Ash rubbed his partner's head. "But I suppose I have to give thanks to my Pokemon. Without them, I could have never done it."

"Speaking of which, where are they?"

"Oh, most of them are in Kanto. It's become something of a tradition of mine to start a journey with a new team. Pikachu's the only exception." Ash paused. "Can't wait to see the Pokemon of Galar!"

As they continued to talk, a pebble came flying out from nowhere causing the trio of humans to look at it in confusion.

“What was that?” Ash asks as Pikachu went to investigate, picking up the pebble just as another came flying. “It came from - is that a Pokémon?” 

"A Scorbunny!” Leon exclaimed, noticing a dirty Scorbunny nearby who was kicking up embers with its feet. "It's muddy, though..."

'Scorbunny, the Bunny Pokemon. A Fire-Type.' Hop's Rotom Phone scanned it. 'Scorbunny has special pads on the soles of its feet that, after a warm-up of running around, help boost the fire energy coursing through its body.'

While the humans are distracted by the muddy Scorbunny, a group of Nickit scurried up their table to feast on their curries. It was Pikachu and Wooloo who took notice, the former calling out to their trainers while the latter ran after them.

“Hey! That’s my backpack!” Ash cries out, Pikachu failing to stop one of the Nickit from stealing from .

“It’s getting away too!” The muddy Scorbunny pulled its eyelid down and took off, joining up with the Nickit. ”Looks like they're friends!”

“Come on!” Leon said, rushing after the four Pokémon.

"Wait! Lee! You'll get..." Hop couldn't finish in time. "...lost. Ash, change of plans. You go after that Scorbunny, I'll find Lee."

"Got it!"

* * *

Pikachu and Ash rushed after the Scorbunny who was probably having more fun than it ought to be. Even as it ran, it kept showing off - kicking off embers and doing somersaults along the way. 

"Get back here!" Ash's voice echoed along the alleyways. "Now I wish I didn't leave Rookidee at the Pokemon Center..."

Scorbunny smirked, before kicking a pebble towards a nearby bicycle and rung its bell, hiding in the opposite direction and nearly laughed out loud as it watched its chasers run away from it, unaware of a pair of eyes watching it from a railing above. 

"Vul..." It commented, watching as Scorbunny ran off to join its brothers, and thought back to the day it first met. 

_It had been a usual day of stealing from the Battle Cafe. Another day of swiping the leftovers from the selfish humans._

_That day, he had managed to swipe a bag of berries. He sniggered at the Indeedee whose Psyshocks failed to even reach him before he vanished around the corner._

_Then he heard the shouting._

_He paused, turning to the alleyway next to it and saw a human girl with a colored female Pikachu on her shoulder. Clinging to her leg was a Scorbunny, begging her to not release him. He raised an eye, before creeping along to try and make out what was going on. It may have been a long time since he had a trainer, but he could still grasp a few words of the human's angry shouts._

_"Get off me! Go find some other Trainer! I released you already, why are you even still here?"_

_"No! Harmony, please! I - I don't want to go!" He brawled, before he was kicked off her leg and she took out a round object. He recognized it as a Pokeball, more specifically, a Premier Ball. A colored Shinx emerged, growling._

_"Alyn! Get him packing!"_

_"Yes, Harmony!" An orb of yellow electricity gathers in front of the Shinx's mouth and Scorbunny was sent skidding close to where he had hid._

_"N-no..." Scorbunny groaned, watching as the Shinx was recalled before she vanished. "Harmony..."_

_"Young Scorbunny." He decided to make his entrance. "What troubles you?"_

_"My...my Trainer..." Although frightened, the Scorbunny still had some strength. "I couldn't win a single battle even with all the training she put me through...I was her first...and I let her down."_

_"Humans are fickle creatures, perhaps one day you can find one worthy of you." He set down his stolen loot. "How would you like to join with me for the while?"_

It shook his head. His son was stronger now. Perhaps it was time it had a new Trainer.

Opening its mouth, a dark purple ball of energy surrounded with purple static was launched at the direction of his son's path, causing a loud noise that would be heard. Satisfied, it leapt up the railings to watch the show. 

* * *

“There it is!” Ash growled out, pulling his phone as he saw his targets to scan the Pokémon. "Let’s see what you are..."

'Nickit, the Fox Pokémon. A Dark type. Cunning and cautious, Nickit survive by silently raiding the food stores of other Pokémon and surviving off its ill-gotten gains. It erases its tracks with swipes of its tail as it makes off with its plunder.'

Ash looked up to see as Scorbunny splitting the spoils to its friends from his bag. "Alright, I've had enough! Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

The four Pokemon leapt apart in horror as the Iron Tail landed where they sat mere seconds ago. In response, Scorbunny kicked Ash's backpack up onto a nearby lamp post, as the Nickit made a break for it. A shadow briefly loomed over them all before Charizard landed in front of the fleeing culprits with a huff, letting out a Flamethrower that sent them skidding to a halt. Scorbunny paled as it looked back, while Hop and Leon made their entrance. "Hey, mate! I see we've got the rest of 'em cornered."

"Sure thing!" Ash gave a quick thumbs up and resumed the battle. "Use Iron Tail!"

As Pikachu's tail glowed a metallic white, Scorbunny's body flashed black before it ran around Pikachu at a high speed, momentarily surprising Pikachu before he was suddenly kicked in the face. Grinning, Scorbunny's body flashed red before leaping up to deliver a spinning Double Kick that was blocked by Iron Tail. Growling, Pikachu responded with a Thunderbolt, but Scorbunny quickly kicked up a cloud of sand, accompanied by a light brown flash from its body. The Thunderbolt made contact, yet Scorbunny was unaffected. "It didn't do a thing!"

"Scorbunny's ability must be Libero!" Hop shouted, as Scorbunny pulled its eye again. "It changes Scorbunny's type to the one as the move it last used! I've never seen one able to utilize it so well! It's amazing!" 

"In that case...Quick Attack!" As Pikachu rushed forward in a white blur, a orange-maroon blur emerged from nowhere and howled, causing a bright red palm shaped barrier of energy to form in front of Pikachu, sending it to a stop.

"A Thievul!" Leon exclaimed as the Quick Guard dissipated and Pikachu retreated back. "It looks like this one's the leader, too!"

'Thievul, the Fox Pokemon. A Dark-Type, and the evolved form of Nickit. Thievul secretly marks potential targets with a scent, which it uses to help stalk prey and steals from them using its lithe body and sharp claws.'

"Thievul!" It turned back to the Scorbunny, angrily snarling. 

"Scorbun, scor scor scorbunny!" The Scorbunny wailed back. Around them, the Nickit sweatdropped upon seeing their father and brother arguing. Again.

"Hey, stop right there!" The five Pokemon stopped, and everyone turned to see Officer Bobby rushing to the scene. Boltund snarled at the Nickit while Bobby picked up Scorbunny by its ears. "Finally got you!"

"Wait! That's my Pokemon!" Hop interrupted, shocking everyone.

* * *

"Thank you for your help in securing these Pokemon, Champion." Bobby bowed. "They have been a real headache."

"It's no problem." Leon turned to the other two. "But I think the real help comes from Hop and Ash here. Ash, this is Officer Bobby, one of many police officers of Galar."

"Officer Bobby...so, you're like Officer Jenny?"

"Ah, then I see you have met my sisters!"

"Your...sisters?"

"Indeed! Officers Jennies are a commonplace in many other regions. Here in Galar though, we Bobbies are a more common sight." Bobby explained, before turning to the Boltund who was engaged in a tug of war with the Thievul. "And let me introduce you to my partner, Boltund!" 

'Boltund, the Dog Pokemon. Electric-Type. This Pokémon generates electricity and channels it into its legs to boost their strength.' 

"By the way, I know you're lying about the Scorbunny being yours."

"So, what's the deal with Scorbunny anyway?" Ash asked, turning to the captured group. "Why's it all dirty?"

"My guess? Scorbunny deliberately covered itself in dirt to fit in with its friends." Bobby shrugged. "The Thievul's been leading this group for some while now, it's just been taking scraps to fed them."

"Scraps." Hop repeated, crouching down to look at them. "What happens to them now?"

The Thievul grinned, before snarling again at the Scorbunny. Startled, it came forward, only for Thievul to pick it up by the scruff and plop it in front of Hop. Scorbunny tried to talk away, only for the Nickit to grab it with their tails and do the same. "...what's going on?"

"I think it might be their way of saying that Scorbunny joins you, Hop." Ash came forward. "Isn't that right?"

The Thievul nodded, while one of the Nickit had produced a Pokeball from Hop's bag, rolling it forward. Hesitantly, Scorbunny looked back at its father who simply nodded. Nodding back in understanding, Scorbunny made a fist bump with the Pokeball, effectively catching itself.

"Welcome to the team, Scorbunny."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, I added Thievul as a mentor type to Scorbunny like how the anime Toucannon is to Rowlet. Course, I'm not writing Scorbunny as Rowlet. The whole thing is kinda a shout out to Oliver Twist.(Got to keep it British, don't I?)Yes, I know it follows the trend of abused fire starters, but the whole point of the fic is somewhat to see if old trends can work. I'm not going to repeat the mistakes of past series, though, so rest assured. Plus, your feedback helps improve this fic.
> 
> Scorbunny's previous Trainer will be introduced much later. If you can guess who inspired her, bravo to you. (Hint, it's from someone on Ao3.)
> 
> Special thanks to Naosh who submitted their O.C. - don't be shy, you can too!


	6. Enter Team Yell!

"Excuse me?!"

It was early in the morning, and a high pitched shriek filled the air inside Motostoke Stadium. A shriek belonging to a redheaded woman who had a blue haired man and a Meowth behind her.

"You heard me right, Miss Jessilee." The League Staff replied. "I'm afraid that to compete in the Gym Challenge, you need an endorsement from a respected Galarian Trainer. No exceptions - even if you are a foreign celebrity - which, off the table, I'm a huge fan." She then produced an album alongside a pen. "If you don't mind, could I have your autograph?"

'Jessilee' simply gave a huff, signed the album before storming off, seething. "Well, great! How are we going to join now?"

"We could always do what Team Rocket does best." Meowth chimed in. "Just go swipe someone else's endorsement and walla! We get to join!" 

"Pardon me." The Rocket Trio looked up to see a girl in a pink dress with ribbons holding up her double horned ponytails, accented by a studded black leather jacket and matching boots, a black choker with a pendant around her neck, and black nail polish. Hung on her shoulder was a pink satchel. They let her pass, before doing a double take.

"Hey!" Jessie shouted. "Are you a Gym Challenger?"

The girl simply kept on walking, seemingly ignoring the trio, much to their frustration. "Oi! Where do you think you're going?"

"...to register." The girl finally stopped. "And I take it you're plannin' to mug me?"

The Trio were baffled as to how someone saw through them, but decided to wing it and threw off their disguises.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"A talkin' Kantonian Meowth... I thought it's just rumors... guess you're not some made up legend." That last sentence actually made her pause, before she took out a Dusk Ball. "Still, lemme tell you somethin'."

"Oh, what's that?" Jessie sneered. Marnie simply stared at her before the tips of her mouth moved up in amusement.

"You don't go muggin' some folk from Spikemuth." She tossed up her Dusk Ball. "Aura Wheel!"

* * *

In their room at the Budew Inn, Ash and Hop were snoring away. At their bed, Scorbunny had awoken earlier, and was currently exploring their room. It looked so fancy, compared to the bins he used to sleep in. Scorbunny looked back at Hop; maybe it wasn't so-

A loud trumpeting sound suddenly pierced their ears, startling them and causing them to fall off. Scorbunny paled and rushed into his Pokeball as Ash fell off his bed. "What was that?"

The two quickly rushed out of their room, throwing on their clothes as a few other doors opened, with their occupants wondering what made that sound. They skidded towards the lobby and soon found out.

A group of rowdy-looking folk, dressed in black and pink and their hair styled with undercuts and mohawks, were making a real ruckus at the hallway with their vuvuzulas. Some of them were busying plastering posters of a goth girl onto the walls, others were spray painting a ragged pink Y on the walls. A pair were even laying out a red carpet at the door.

“Hey, what’s going on here?”

One of the punks - presumably the leader of this group - turned around and loitered menacingly, raising his microphone. “Oi, listen up! We're Team Yell, an' we came to help after all - helpin' one special gym challenger, that is!"

"Team Yell?" The name soon spread across the corridor as the Gym Challengers murmured among themselves. 

"We wanna make sure she gets cheered on nice n' proper." The grunt continued, staring hard at the Gym Challengers who had come around. "So a word of warning - get in our way, and you’re gonna help us make. some. noise!”

The rest of the grunts cheered, some of them unleashing a series of vuvuzela blasts. 

"Hey, cut it out!" Ash came down to the ground floor. "You can cheer, but you don't have to be this loud!"

"So you wanna be a hero, eh?" The grunt sneered, pulling out a Nest Ball. "Let's see how you like this! Night Slash!" 

Ash leapt out of the way of a white Pokemon with several black stripes on its back and star patterns around its eyes emerged, its claws glowing purple as it slashed at them. "Looks like they aren't leaving without a fight." Hop quickly rushed forward to join Ash's side. "Wooloo, use Stomp!" 

Wooloo gave a defiant bleh before he went ahead and stomped his hooves onto the Pokemon's tail, who yelped in pain before it flipped back, only to get a face of Iron Tail that sent it flying back to its Trainer.

“Oi! Gimme a break here. Team Yell! Get revenge for me, wouldja?” 

"Course we gotcha covered, mate!" The rest of the grunts stalked forward menacingly, sending out half a dozen Pokemon consisting of what seemed to be the pre-evolution of the Pokemon Wooloo had defeated, as well as a few Nickits and Sneasels. A showdown seemed almost inevitable as the grunts sneered.

“What are you lot doin’ here?” A soft but stern voice rang out across the lobby, following by a soft clanking of boots meeting against the marble floor. The grunts actually staggered backward in shock, reduced to stammering messes, as everyone's attention was turned to the newcomer.

It was the same girl who was on the posters, and next to her was a small black and purple rodent Pokemon with pink cheeksacs, red eyes and short, stubby limbs. Neither of them looked pleased as they glared at Team Yell.

“Mar - marnie?!” The leading grunt stuttered out, sweating a river as the seconds passed. “N-n-nothin’... We was just...” 

"Leaving. _Right?_ " The girl – Marnie – slowly stalked forward, crossing her arms. "I know you all are terribly curious 'bout the other Gym Challengers." Cold blue eyes pierced into every single member. "But you gotta show a bit of restraint; I better not see you givin' the other Gym Challengers a hard time again, y'hear?"

Team Yell looked at each other in shame before mumbled out apologies. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Marnie. "Good, now back home with you!" She ordered, jerking her head toward the door.

The rodent Pokemon squeaked with her, as though reinforcing her threats. The grunts gulped and immediately shuffled out of the lobby, stuttering apologies as they left. Marnie sighed as she watched them leave, while the rodent next to her glowed yellow and changed form, becoming primarily yellow and the right side of its head brown as it looked up to her Trainer.

“So... you’re a Gym Challenger, too?” Marnie gasped quietly before recomposing herself and slid her gaze over to a grinning Hop who put his arms behind his head. “Pretty impressive that you already have a set of fans to call your own!”

"Sorry if they caused you any troubles. They're just so caught up with wantin' to support me and all that they tend to get a bit shirty with other Gym Challengers, I think they've let it all go to their heads a bit..."

“That’s okay! Excitement gets the better of us." Hop extended a hand. "Names' Hop, and this is my best friend Wooloo.”

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and this is my partner Pikachu." 

"Name's Marnie, an' this is Morpeko." She looked down to her partner, whose bead like eyes were looking at Pikachu with marvel.

'Morpeko, the Two-Sided Pokemon. Full Belly Mode. Dark/Electric Type.' Ash's Rotom Phone announced. 'It carries electrically roasted seeds stored up in its pocket-like pouches as if they're precious treasures, not only satisfying its appetite but also boosting its strength.'

Marnie nodded, before looking back at the spectators who were murmuring about her. "Oi, shows over! Sorry again for the ruckus!"

The crowd finally dispersed, though Ash caught whispers of people talking about Marnie. Apparently this wasn't her first time competing.

"So, Marnie, you're here for the Opening Ceremony?" His grin widened after her nod. "Awesome! Then I guess we're rivals, now!" 

Marnie raised an eyebrow, before turning to Ash. "Is he always this impulsive?"

"Uh - to be honest, I only met him a few days ago...?"

"Nevermind." She shook her head. "Why don't we have a battle? I suppose I do owe you two something for my fanclub's actions."

"Really?"

"Why not?" Marnie shrugged. "People do show who they are in the heat of battle after all." She looked back at them. "So? Who'll it be?"

* * *

That's how Hop found himself overlooking this match between Marnie and Ash, who had agreed almost immediately. They had found a nice spot on the Outskirts outside the city, and both were eager.

"Alright, 'Peko. You ready?" 

The Two-Faced Pokemon was bouncing all over the place, switching between her two forms. "Urara!"

"Right." Hop looked back at Wooloo, who too was taken aback at Morpeko's enthusiasm. "Ash, Marnie? Good luck to you both. Battle begin!"

"Use Aura Wheel."

Morpeko chittered and spun into a wheel of electricity, rolling towards Pikachu. Pikachu leaped into the air, whipping around, and brought his metallic tail crashing into Morpeko's momentum. Static raged across the battlefield; Pikachu's superior strength won out, sending Morpeko falling back, reducing the damage to a minimum. "Jump and use Thunderbolt!"

Marnie narrowed her eyes and snarled. "Block with Bullet Seed, Aura Wheel!"

Pikachu used his tail to springboard into the air, cheeks sparking, and unloaded a vicious bolt of electricity that sent the smaller electric type flying momentarily. Morpeko dragged a paw against the ground to recover, hissing in anger before returning fire. The Bullet Seeds collided with Pikachu's Thunderbolt, generating an explosion that resulting in a furious Hangry Morpeko reemerging with a black Aura Wheel that did a number on Pikachu. 

"You alright?" Pikachu coughed a response back. "How did it do so much this time?!"

"Hunger Switch." Marnie smirked. "Morpeko's form determines the type of damage Aura Wheel does - in this case, it's Dark! Bullet Seed!"

"Quick Attack!" Morpeko took a deep breath before spitting out another volley. Pikachu rushed around the battlefield, dodging the barrage that kicked up a cloud of dust that obscured their sights. "Good job, buddy! Now, Iron tail!"

"Aura Wheel!" 

Morpeko quickly began spinning, but Pikachu had learnt his lesson, instead striking to the side - out of the Aura Wheel and into Morpeko. The Two-Faced Pokémon was flung out of the battlefield almost immediately, and stayed still.

"Morpeko is unable to battle!"

"Phew, that was great." Marnie laughed silently, her cold blue eyes studying him briefly as she went to scoop up the Dark/Electric type. "You're very good at battling. This can't be the first time you've battled, right?"

"Nope!" It was Hop's turn to laugh. "This cheeky bloke's actually a Champion!" 

Marnie's eyes widened, before her poker face broke. "That was funny. I'm looking forward to our next fight, Ash." She reached into her satchel and took out something. "Here, you can even have one of my old League Cards."

"League Card?" Ash looked confused as he took one of the palm sized cards. On it was a picture of Marnie's poker face in front of a metal wall filled with grafiti of a Galarian Zigzagoon as well several goblin Pokemon littered around, finished with an enthusiastic Morpeko trying to to sneak in the background. "What's this?"

"Don't tell me you don't have a League Card." Marnie's eyes widened. She then turned towards Hop with a scandalized look. "You're the Champion's brother, an' you never told 'im about League Cards?"

"Uh..." Now Hop looked really embarrassed. 

"Just kiddin'." Marnie chuckled. "You're easy to fluster, y'know. Let us meet again on the battlefield, Challenger Hop."

As she walked away, Ash was marveling over the card while Hop felt his heart racing. "Marnie..."

Looks like Ash wasn't going to be the only one in the way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's everyone enjoying the series so far? I know that there's more kudos, though I dunno about your actual thoughts.
> 
> InfamousPlayer: Lol, might be less actually...


	7. Opening Ceremony

"So, Ash Ketchum has come to Galar."

Rose wore a fond smile as he stared out over Wyndon from the top of Rose Tower - the beautiful plazas, the soaring stadium, the ferris wheel, and beyond the tundra stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was magnificent, nature and humanity coexisting, all made possible by the clean, renewable energy produced by his company Macro Cosmos and the revenue generated by the Pokémon league. This view never failed to give him hope for the future and inspired him to push Galar further to become the very best it could be. Once, he had been an selfish patron – now, a modest philanthropist.

"With all due respect, father." The door opened and a boy with unruly white curls stepped in, followed by a small pink Pokémon that resembled a walking orb with a blue and pink hat. "I fail to see what's so important of this Ash. He's just a mere kid with a Pikachu."

"Bede." Rose closed his eyes. "Once again, you fail to see beyond the bigger picture. Ash Ketchum is not a mere kid - he's the current official champion of the Alola region as well as a Champion of the Orange Islands. Not only that, but he has competed in no less than six League Tournaments, and has been reserved as a potential Frontier Brain."

"So he's a powerful Trainer. But you have me, father-"

"Oleana has informed me that he has befriended at least two legendary Pokémon, he possesses, currently, the only Melmetal remaining in the world, previously owned a Greninja that's capable of the Bond Phenomenon, which before then, was thought to be mere stuff of legend dating back during the time of Aura Guardians, and first discovered the Dusk Form of Lycanroc, of which his specimen is currently in the Alola Region under the Aether Foundation." Rose finally turned around, a look of disappointment visible. "So you see, Bede. Ash Ketchum is not some 'mere' trainer."

Bede finally decided to quiet down. For a moment.

"I asked Oleana." Bede spoke again. "She said the only consistent on his team is his Pikachu. With all due respect, father, this is a _Pikachu_ we are talking about."

"A Pikachu who has defeated a Regice, a Latios and one of the Tapu. Not to mention, I hear from Leon, it can Gigantamax." Rose fixed a glance at Bede. "Perhaps we are seeing another potential champion - should you fail, that is."

Hattena squealed in fear as her grip on Bede's leg grew tighter, as did his fist.

"...Yes, father."

* * *

"Where in the name of Arceus could it have gone?!"

Raihan almost tore his hair out as he dumped out his bag onto the hotel room bed, before getting down to the floor and looking underneath his bed. A loud buzz echoed from the bathroom, while a Goodra stepped in from the balcony shaking her head, much to his exasperation as he looked up. "Ugh, where could it be?!"

"Ralu!" He heard Duraludon’s triumphant cry, and glanced up. The Dragon/Steel Type had moved the mattress off the bed, revealing that his headband had somehow managed to get underneath.

"Thanks, partner. I've no idea how it got there.” Raihan let out a sigh of relief. pulling the headband on and turning around to adjust it in the mirror behind him. Duraludon gave another little roar, before nudging at the door at the same time a message buzzed from his Rotom Phone.

From NotANesbian: Rose's madwoman's interrogating me for your whereabouts. Where r u?!

He quickly snapped a selfie, recalled his Pokemon and typed a reply. On my way! Hang on, babe!

The lobby of the Budew Drop Inn was crowded, mostly with Gym Challengers, some already in their uniforms. Raihan weaved through the crowd, snapping a few selfies with the Challengers that turned to look at him. There were more Challengers filing into the stadium, but that wasn't where they had to be. Instead, they headed to the side door of the stadium, where the League staff guarding the door nodded at them, before swiping his key card to let him in.

Most of the veteran major division Gym Leaders were getting ready, he noticed. Milo was speaking with Opal, while Kabu was wiping clean. He saw Allister stepping back from Gordie and his Coalossal, which surprised him for a moment, before crossing the locker room to where true to her text, Nessa was backed against the wall by an very peeved Oleana.

"Alright, alright, I'm here." He raised his hands. Nessa's face brightened while Oleana turned. "Leave my babe alone, alright?"

Nessa giggled as she watched Oleana walk away, this time muttering about the Champion, before turning back to Raihan. "So, what took you so long?"

"Headband somehow ended up underneath the mattress."

"...How did it get down there?"

"Must be during last night." Raihan brushed a finger up her chin. "How was your work?"

"Same as always. Just like the outcomes of your battles with Leon."

"Hey, at least this time I managed to get us down to our last Pokemon-!"

The locker room door suddenly flew open with a bang, causing everyone to turn and stare in shock at the person who stepped in. "No way..."

* * *

Backstage, Ash had put on his Gym Uniform as he entered a waiting room.  All the League staff in the room started rushing around, organizing the Gym Challengers for their appearance. Ash grinned back at Hop as he spun around in his uniform. "Not bad, right?"

"Cool! But check this out!" Hop pointed at his wrist, where a familiar wristband now sparkled.. "My very own Dynamax band! How cool is this!"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" They turned to a nearby tv screen that had broadcast the stadium to the changing rooms. "I am Rose, chairman of the Galarian Pokémon League!" 

The crowd cheered as Rose emerged onto the stadium, riding on top of the same elephant Pokemon Ash had seen before.

'Copperajah, the Copperdem Pokemon. Steel-Type.  Copperajah's green skin is resistant to water, while their trunks have incredible grip strength, strong enough to crush giant rocks into powder.'

"It is my pleasure to announce that finally - the Galarian Gym Challenge will start!" Rose smiled as his Copperajah waved its trunk around. "Participants must conquer the eight Gyms and gather their Gym Badges to prove their skills as a Trainer! Only the most worthy will have the honor of challenging the greatest Champion in history! And now, I would like to invite the participating Gym Leaders of this season to show themselves!"

The lights dimmed, before reigniting as the eight Gym Leaders of the Major Division stepped onto the field and towards the center of the field.

"First, the fighting farmer! Here’s the Grass-type expert, Milo of Turfield!" The Grass-type Gym Leader was met with warm applause from the audience that he gave friendly waves to in return. His Flapple flew around him hazardously, though Milo didn't seem to mind. 

"The raging wave! It’s the master of Water types, Nessa of Hulbury!" The Water-type Gym Leader was met with a couple wolf whistles, which she blew a couple kisses toward the crowd in return. Her Drednaw marched across the field, its shell looking slick and shiny; clearly it had just been in the water.

"The ever-burning man of fire! Here comes the Fire-type veteran, Kabu of Motostoke!" The Fire-type Gym Leader was met with respectful applause as he kept his eyes forward. Each step taken was rigid and deliberate, a product of decades of discipline. Even his Centiskorch held itself up just so, with the same amount of control as its trainer.

"The silent boy of mystery!! Nobody is a better friend to Ghost types than Allister of Stow-on-Side!" The Ghost-type Gym Leader dragged himself across the field like a broken marionette and nervously glanced at the cheering crowd. Some chatter started in the changing room about where his partner was - until there was a shriek from the audience as the camera turned to see a cackling Gengar, who floated back down to the field next to Allister's side.

"The master of a fantastic theater! It’s the charming Fairy wizard, Opal of Ballonlea!" The Fairy-Type Gym Leader met with the same respect as Kabu. Despite her age, she walked with with refined grace and style, and her Alcremie walked with the same poise.

"The hard-rock crusher! Please welcome the master of Rock, Gordie of Circhester!" The Rock-type Gym Leader smiled as he waved at the audience, shooting back cocky grins. Next to him was a tough-looking Coalossal, who flexed with every other step it took.

"The anarchic singer! Specializing in Dark Types, I give you, Piers of Spikemuth!" The Dark-type Gym Leader didn't bother to look up at the gossiping audience as he walked with a look of annoyance. Next to him, his Obstagoon snarled at anyone who even glanced at them.

"The tamer of Dragons! Raihan of Hammerlocke!" The Dragon-Type Gym Leader was met with uproarious hollers from the audience. He blatantly snapped selfies with his Rotom phone, and more than once did his Duraludon sneak itself into the background, a gesture Raihan gladly welcomed.

Chairman Rose smiled and gestured to all the Gym Leaders once they were lined up on the field, before he had one last introduction. "And last but not least," The lights shot up to the sky, and the audience went wild upon seeing the figure that was soaring down. "Our beloved Champion, Leon of Postwick!"

"Galar." Leon leapt down to the ground as Charizard shot back up, firing a Fire Blast into the confetti filled air as Leon struck his signature Charizard pose. "let's have a Champion Time!"

"Indeed! Now..." Rose waited until the applause died down. "I would like to introduce to you our challengers of this season!"

And just like the Gym leaders before them, the crowd of Gym Challengers came out, accompanied by their partner Pokémon perched on their shoulders or walking beside them. Leon scanned the crowd as they came closer, thinning out and lining up, eventually catching the  few that stood out.

Hop of Postwick, number 189, his brother was grinning wide with confident eyes and bouncing slightly on his feet, with Wooloo rolling out excitedly around him. Leon had to fight the urge to break off and lift him up in a hug to show everyone who his brother was; it would be too unprofessional.

Bede of Wyndon, number 908, and most importantly the Chairman's adopted son. Leon frowned as he remembered the boy; he was too vain and proud for his liking.

Marnie of Spikemuth, number 960, was blank-faced and casual; her Morpeko was much more energetic, bouncing around her feet and squeaking happily. _Piers’ little sister,_ Leon looked back to the line Gym Leaders to see him finally looking up. _That's why he decided to show up._

And at the very end of the line, Ash Ketchum of Kanto's Pallet Town, number 314, his eyes flaring with determination and her grin confident. Pikachu sat on his head, looking at the crowd and bright lights in awe.

"These are our challengers of the season. Now, I'll like to step back, and let our Royal Family say a few words."

Everyone's attention turned as three people stepped into view. The first was a gentleman who wore a blue suit, bowtie and whose blonde hair shot upward and curved into the shape of a sword; the second gentleman looked similar to the first, with the exception that his suit was red while his hair flowed behind his head and rounded out near the bottom, akin to a shield. The last was a lady who wore a magenta dress, a necklace of diamonds, grey gloves, and whose hair was styled in a set of ringlets.

"On the occasion of the opening of the fiftieth Galarian Gym Challenge, Princes Sordward and Shielbert and I, Princess Diamona would like to extend a very warm welcome to you all." The princess smiled. "To all foreign competitors and spectators, as one of the last remaining living members of the Galarian Royal Family, I hope that you will enjoy your time in the galar region, and I am sure that you will find a warm reception awaiting you."

"This will be the first Gym Challenge we have hosted." The blue brother, who Ash guessed was Sordward, pushed forward. "Why, my grandfather helped open the very first Challenge back during Mustard's reign at Stow-On-Side, my father helped open the nineteenth Challenge at Motostoke for Steel Peony and the twenty-fourth Challenge at Cliffard for Scafell Pike, and now I will take pleasure in helping declaring open the fiftieth Challenge for at Wyndon."

"Over recent months, WE know that many have waited with growing excitement of the Gym Challenge, drawing people together as families and communities." Shielbert calmly gestured his brother back as he took the center. "To us, this spirit of togetherness is a most important part of the ideals of our Gym Challenge; and we Galarians can be proud of the part they have played in keeping the spirit alive."

"There is so much of which we can be proud: groups of Trainers of all genders and ages dedicated to excellence and achievement across numerous sporting disciplines." Diamona took back center place, slightly annoyed and embarrassed. "And these trainers are ably endorsed by the many Gym Leaders, as well as the efforts of Marcos Cosmos who will be following the action all over Galar. For all these reasons, I wish you all a successful, enjoyable and memorable Gym Challenge."

"Thank you, Princes and Princess." Rose smiled and threw open his arms. "And now, it is my great pleasure to say...let the Galarian Gym Challenge begin!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Princess Diamona is named after Princess Diana and themed after diamonds, can you guess why? Considering Magnolia resembles Queen Elizabeth II, I decided to choose another royal to help improve the Galarian Royal Family. Their speech is inspired by the Queen's speech at the London Olympics in 2012.
> 
> Ash's number 314 is deprived from his Japanese name Satoshi.  
> Thanks to Sheon13 for submitting their O.C.; however, and maybe I should have specified earlier, but it would help better if they had a English name - I'm writing this as an English Dub. Naosh and Sheon13, don't worry about me not using your O.C.s - they will still be used, and anyone can submit an O.C. - format's in chapter 3, (with the exception of preferably European names, unless they are from kanto, johto, hoenn or sinnoh please?)


	8. Into the Mines

Ash had never felt so pumped up before. Gyms were previously just enclosed areas, large for perhaps a dozen people to spectate. Here, every stadium was like a League Conference Match. As they stepped out of he changing rooms, they heard someone calling out a familiar nickname.

"Hopscotch!" Leon smiling as he approached them. "So, how'd you find the experience?"

"It was awesome! Standing there on the pitch… in the stadium… in front of everyone!" Hop was jumping all over the place, before he eventually calmed down. "Course, I bet you're familiar with that feeling, right Ash?"

"Not exactly. In the other regions I participated, there's no opening ceremony - well, maybe except back in Alola, but they didn't have a Pokémon League until recently, so I'm not sure if it counts..." Ash grinned sheepishly before his attention turned to a huge golden statue of an armored warrior wielding a sword and shield that stood in the center of the hall. "Hey, is that a statue of you, Leon?"

"That? Leon as the hero?" A familiar chuckle came around the corner. "Well, at his current rate he might as well be, but sadly not yet. of a legendary hero well-known among Galar. I could run through the legend right quick, if you fancy?""

"Sonia!" Leon seemed somewhat overly pleased upon seeing the orange headed girl. "Here on an errand from your gran?"

"Actually, here researching the mysterious Pokémon your brother encountered in the Slumbering Weald. I reckon that I might figure something out if I look into some of Galar’s legends. Gran certainly agrees, seeing as now it's my homework."

Leon turned to Hop, his face a mixture of shock and worry. "You did what?! Come to think of it, no one saw either of you leave the train too!"

"Uh, Leon? That might be my mistake." Ash jumped in. "A Rookidee stole our scones while the train was stopped because of a Snorlax. I...get a bit reckless when food's involved."

"Just like you back then..." Sonia rolled her eyes, "Anyway, long ago...a great black storm covered the Galar region, and the land was assaulted by gigantic Pokémon... but they were defeated by a single young hero bearing a sword and shield, becoming the first ruler of Galar after."

Hop’s eyes widened in amazement. “Wow! That guy must’ve been as strong as Lee!"

"This statue here is courtesy of Rose, perhaps to appease the royal family, although now they're just the royal siblings..." Sonia sighed. "Still, there's a lot from the legend that has been lost to time. Where did the sword and shield they used - whatever it was - went. This “black storm” is supposed to be is just another mystery... Whatever it was, it blotted out the skies all across Galar. I suppose that tracks with it being called the Darkest Day, but still..."

"Seems like you’ll have your hands full with plenty of research, Sonia.” Leon scratched the back of his head. "Y'know, I could come with you, since I, uh, don't have anywhere to go..."

Sonia's face took on a pink tinge. "Well, I do, in fact, uh, have somewhere to go..."

"And I think we should leave!" Hop quickly grabbed Ash by the shoulder as he rushed off. "Nice seeing you, Lee!"

"What's that all about?"

"Lee and Sonia...they've got history with each other." Hop quickly looked around, before quieting. "I swear Lee even had a ring somewhere, but now they're trying to deny anything ever happened. Keyword being trying, though. Just look back."

Ash took one last look back inside, where Leon and Sonia had now fallen into a shouting match. _Love is...odd._

* * *

Those thoughts didn't last very long, though. Soon, they were buried away as they arrived down route three. According to Hop, the quickest way to Turffield from Motostoke was through a mine.

"Huh, Hop?" The dark entrance of the mine loomed overhead as they approched. "Do you have a light or something?"

"Hm? No need! Just come in yourself!" 

What caught Ash’s attention immediately as they went further into the mine were the beautiful glowing gems glittering against the golden walls. They shone red, green, blue, and every color in between, casting colored shadows over the mine tunnels. It was still relatively dim, but the stones and the few artificial lights provided more than enough light to see.

There were also a few workers here and there, which Hop explained were responsible for helping mine coal that would power the region. Occasionally one of the wild Rock types, which Ash learnt was called Rolycoly, got too close, but they left them alone.

"Hey, check this out mate!" Hop's voice came echoing from a corner. "Looks like I found one of those Gems that could boost - what was that?"

Ash stopped moving and was silent. There was nothing except for a clacking sound, which seemed to be growing louder...

Turning on his heel quickly, his eyes widened as a minecart filled with coal came into view, with no signs of stopping anytime soon. It was then he also realized that they were standing on the rails. "Move!"

While Hop narrowly managed to leapt off the rails, Ash winced as he took the full brunt and was sent flying to the wall. To their surprise, the cart then derailed itself and spun around to revealing a laughing face. "What was that?" Ash whipped out his Rotom Phone.

'Carkoal, the Coal Pokemon, and the evolved form of Rolycoly. Rock/Fire Type. By rapidly rolling its legs, it can travel at over 18 mph. It forms coal inside its body, which once helped fuel the lives of people in the Galar region during a harsh winter.'

"Doesn't look like this one is friendly." Hop noted. "But it's still a Pokemon! That means I can catch it!" He sent out Scorbunny, who reared up for battle. "Scorbunny! Use Double Kick!" 

As Scorbunny rushed forward, Carkol roared before the coals on its body glowed red, and it charged forward in a fiery blaze. Scorbunny was hit rather hard, though it managed to land a Sucker Punch that almost knocked the Carkol off balance. "Good job! Now try Double Kick again!"

Scorbunny leapt forward, finally manging to land the fighting type attack. Despite this, it didn't do much, and Scorbunny was soon knocked by an incoming Smack Down. 

"Drat." Hop cursed as he watched the Coal Pokemon escape on the rails. "There goes our catch."

* * *

Bede did not particularly enjoy getting his hands dirty. Having to dig around in the dusty old mines by _hand_ was _torturous._ Still, he was glad he decided to head in here at night - who knew how many Wishing Stars could have been taken by someone else if he was late?

"Anymore?" He snarled. At his feet, Hatenna almost whimpered while Dottler shook its head, before they were recalled. "Umph. No matter. We're leaving."

Just as he got near the exit, he heard footsteps. He turned, and his blood boiled. It was them - the Alolan Champion and the Champion's brother.

"Coming this way? I'd advise against it." He put his hands in his pockets. "Any Trainer with a Wishing Star is in for a beating from me and my Pokemon!"

"A beating? Yeah, sure. Alright then, try us." Hop scoffed. "Bold words for someone blocking the exit of the mine just to be petty. Who are you anyways?”

Bede tilted his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. "What, don't even recognize your competition?"

"Compe..." Hop's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, you must be one of the other Gym Challengers, then!"

"True." The boy gave them a haughty look. " _Maybe_ you'll start catching up to me, then."

"...what did you say?"

"I know who you are, Hop. Brother to the Champion, as well as the one he endorsed." He brushed back his curls with a flair. "What say we have a little battle, hm? See who made the better pick."

Hop raised an eyebrow, shaking his head a little. "Whoa, hold on, you want a battle _right now?_ Who the heck do you think you are?"

"Making excuses, are we? I didn't realize you were a _coward_." The boy smirked, plucking a Great Ball from his belt and tossing it up and down in his left hand. "Perhaps the Champion ought to rethink that endorsement and maybe send his baby brother back home."

Hop's dark eyes were suddenly set alight, and Ash felt as if the temperature had suddenly shot up. His lip curled in a snarl and his hand on a Pokeball of her own. "You've got a lot of _nerve_ callin' me a coward! Okay, _fine,_ you wanna fight?!" 

Hop threw the ball out with much more force than necessary, with Bede actually having to duck to avoid getting hit, and a furious Wooloo popped out from it. “Challenge accepted, prick!”

Bede recomposed himself before resuming his haughty facade. "Then allow me, Bede, to prove beyond doubt just how pathetic you are and how strong I am." He tossed his Great Ball, and came out a orange geometric shaped shell with a pair of crystalline visors. 

'Dottler, the Radome Pokémon. Bug/Psychic Type. As it grows inside its shell, it uses its psychic abilities which seem to be activated from hiding inside its shell for so long to observe its surroundings.'

"Wooloo, you ready?" The Sheep Pokemon nodded as he stepped forward, digging his calf into the gravel.

"Whatever." Bede scoffed. "Dottler, Screens, now."

Dottler's eyes illuminated for a moment, before a pair of barriers shimmered into existence. Wooloo looked uncertain, as did Hop. Whatever move Wooloo would deal less damage now. "Use Payback!"

Surprisingly, the Dark-Type attack was enough to knock out the Dottler. Perhaps it wasn't as tough as it looked. “Tch!” Bede closed his eyes in apparent anger, glaring at the Great Ball. “I’m just giving your Pokémon a chance to shine. That’s all.”

“How generous of ya!” Hop mocked. Bede narrowed his eyes and sent out Hatenna, who squealed in fear upon seeing the much larger Wooloo.

'Hatenna, the Calm Pokemon. Via the protrusion on its head, it senses other creatures' emotions, fleeing from sources of strong emotions."

"Use Stomp! Squash that thing!"

Hatenna squealed as Wooloo raised its hooves. Bede scoffed and ordered Disarming Voice, which did actually make Wooloo stumble for a moment, and knocked him down by a point-blank Psybeam. 

"C'mon Wooloo, hit it with Stomp!” Hatenna cried feebly as Wooloo crushed her to the ground. Bede retaliated with another Psybeam, at which point Hop noticed that the barriers which had been reducing the damage from Wooloo were fading and he smiled.

“It’s over,” Hop announced. "Payback!" 

Wooloo's body was surrounded by a dark aura before he charged forward. Hatenna could only squeal as she was hurled straight into Bede's chest.

“Well, I wasn’t really trying all that hard anyway!” Bede recalled his Pokemon and turned his body away in a fit of anger. "Nevertheless, I know your tricks so I will be better prepared next time we meet. I’m sure I can defeat you in an official gym battle!” 

Hop and Wooloo both growled in disgust, while Ash watched in concern as Bede walked out of the mine. Who was this guy, anyway?

* * *

The moment Bede had deposited his Pokémon over to Nurse Joy, he went outside and took out his Rotom Phone, dialing for a number. To his frustration, it went to her voicemail. Not the first time, either. 

"Ms. Oleana?" He spoke, better to report his progress than nothing. "It's me. I have scoured over the first mine, and have secured all the Wishing Stars inside - at least those that do not require specialist equipment to dig out. During my exit, I have encountered the brother of the Champion as well as his companion, the Alolan Champion. None of the Wishing Stars were lost, however. That is all."

Deciding that was enough, he cut off the call and headed back in. 

_I won't fail you, father._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Alolanfan13 and cat_in_the_hat for submitting their O.Cs! I promise, some of them will show up soon!


	9. Milo - the fighting farmer!

On a grassy field outside of Turffield Stadium, Ash looked on as Rookidee fought against a few wild squirrel Pokemon he later found out was called Skwovet. Hop had decided to challenge the Gym first, and since Ash wanted to train with Rookidee, he didn't argue against the matter either.

What he failed to consider, however, was that their options were...weak. Most of them were just Skwovet, who were easily dispatched with Rock Smash, while the others near the Wild Area that didn't flee were way too strong - Rookidee had to be taken to a Pokémon Center because the Boldore they challenged was too much for her to take. "It's not exactly the best, but it's not like there's a Trainer just near - whoa!" Ash turned only and came across a Trainer with purple and blue hair in a ponytail.

"Aha! I knew I saw another trainer!" They exclaimed. "Listen, the name's Howie - I'm training up for the Gym Challenge next season, so I'm gonna challenge you to a battle!"

"Uh, okay..." Ash sweat dropped. "I _was_ looking for someone to train against, I didn't expect it to be this soon..."

"Alright! Here's my partner!" They swung their arms around and sent out their Pokémon: A horse Pokemon with chalk-white fur; long, purple-and-blue, cloudy fur that is also on top of its dark-purple hooves; purple eyes with light-blue irises; and a purple-and-white horn on top of its forehead let out a proud neigh.

"Is that a...Ponyta?" Ash's eyes widened before consulting his Rotom Phone.

'Ponyta, the Unique Horn Pokémon. Galarian Form, Psychic-Type. Ponyta's horn is capable of healing slight wounds if rubbed, and sees the content's of one's heart through looking in their eyes.'

"A regional variant. So cool!" Ash grinned as he tossed out his Pokeball. "Alright Rookidee, let our first Trainer battle be a memorable one!"

"A foolish choice!" Howie laughed. "Ponyta! Use Fairy Wind, one hundred percent! Then Stomp it down!"

Ponyta took a deep breath before unleashing a strong gust of sparkling wind, which Rookidee attempted to dodge up, only for Ponyta to have leapt up under the cover and slammed its hooves down. "Aha! Bet you didn't see that coming!" Howie grinned. "Now for the finishing move! Ponyta, use Wild Charge!"

"Rookidee! Brace using Hone Claws, then Assurance!"

Ponyta's body was surrounded by yellow electricity as it rushed forward, slamming into Rookidee who was spinning out of battle. To Howie's shock, a red aura flared around Rookidee as she skidded back, her body surrounded by a dark aura as she struck back. Because of the recoil it had taken, Ponyta almost emerged unconscious, though it was barely standing. Howie took a moment to consult their Pokémon, though their state didn't matter as it went down to a followed up Rock Smash.

"How?!" Howie sighed, recalling Ponyta before shaking hands. "You gotta teach me how to do that someday!" 

"Hey, Ash!" Ash inwardly cringed while Howie looked genuinely surprised at the volume, as did a few others as a familiar person rushed in sight. "Guess who's back!"

"Did you get your badge?"

"See for yourself!" Hop thrust out a metal ring with a small piece of metal with a green leaf pattern etched into it. "Got it on the first try, too! Though I'm sure you'll do it better than me - you're a Champion after all."

"Hold on, you're a Champion?" Howie interrupted them. "No WAY! Of where?!"

Ash was stunned by their reaction, while Hop chuckled. "Of Alola. The region's first ever Champion?!"

Ash chuckled nervously. "Y-Yeah, but uh, it's only in name now. I've relinquished most of the official duties to the founder, Professor Kukui, a week after I left."

"Pika pika," Pikachu added, nodding in affirmation.

"You...You _relinquished_ your Champion duties?! But... _why_?! Don't you know how many would kill to be in your place?! Why would you throw away such a title of power?!"

"Because that's just what it is," Ash replied, his voice more steady and earnest now. "In all my years of traveling, I wanted to be a Pokémon Master. Being a Champion used to be something I aimed for back when I was starting out. But looking back, it's kinda a rather outdated thought."

"Oh my Arceus." Howie's mouth was gaping like a fish, before they recomposed themselves. "Then, could I watch yours? I want to see how you battle."

"I don't see why not." Ash grinned at his companion. "Hop?"

"Sure thing, mate!" Hop grinned, before striking his hand in the air. "C'mon! Let's have a champion time!" 

"Awesome!"

* * *

One quick trip to the Pokémon Center later,  Ash fiddled with his Gym Uniform as he walked through a narrow hallway that opened up into the expanse of the stadium, where he was greeted by a blond man. "Welcome, challenger! My name is Dan! Are you ready to take the Turffield Gym Mission?"

The last bit caught Ash off guard. "The Gym...Mission?"

"Yes, before you can challenge the Gym Leader for the badge, you must complete a Gym Mission first to reach them! And here in Turffield," Dan threw his arm out to the field, where flocks of Wooloo were peacefully grazing. "Your mission is to chase our unruly Wooloo to that blockade we've made from our bales of straw over there! You are permitted the assistance of only one Pokemon, but you are not allowed to use any moves on any of the Gym's Pokemon!"

Ash looked out at the fields, taking it in at the moment. It had been so long since he actually challenged a proper Gym - the Kantonian Gym aside. Maybe things were indeed different in some regions, apart of the Dynamaxing aspect. 

"Welcome, one and all! I'm the Ball Guy, and it's always a pleasure to see you all!" The announcer's voice bounced around the stadium. "Our first challenger of the day! Hailing from Pallet Town, all the way from Kanto, Ash! He might be new to Galar, but let it be known that he has competed in league conferences around the world, winning the inaugural Manalo league to become the first ever Champion of Alola, and I have it on good word that he has even conquered the Battle Frontier in the midst of that! But enough chatter - let's see if his alleged skills in battle can translate for Wooloo wrangling! Let the timer begin!" 

Ash paused - Dan didn't mention anything about a timer! Sure enough, when he looked up to the announcer stands, there was indeed a timer that was ticking down.

"Ready for this, Pikachu?" His partner gave a determined 'chaa' as he leapt off, rushing towards the field and a group of Wooloo. They rolled away from him as he stepped closer, and he realized the challenging part of this Gym mission. 

In the audience, Hop and Howie managed to grab front row seats and were busy cheering him. "Go Ash!"

"Oof, Ash may have the battling touch, but he's not best mates with Wooloo." Ball Guy commented, watching Ash as he and Pikachu tried to corral the Wooloo towards the hay bale blockade with much difficulty. Some Wooloo ran in the opposite direction, while others flat out ignored them. "And would you look at that - the clock is already halfway down! That means it's time for the Yamper to come!"

"What?!" Ash exclaimed as a pair of Yamper came leaping out from the gates and towards the rolling Wooloo, causing more than a few to scatter away from the main flock they so desperately gathered. Sighing in irritation he chased after them, finally sticking it in with the others to clear the challenge with a few well-placed Electrowebs against the Yamper.

"Gym Mission complete!" Ash sighed in relief, wiping the sweat off his brow. "And now, he may advance to the stage you've all been waiting for!"

At that moment, the hedges dropped down, while the Wooloo pens were retracted back into the walls, forming as a grass battlefield. All around him, audience members cheered  when Milo emerged from the tunnels, who waved back as he and Ash  stopped at the center of the pitch, in the middle of the large Pokéball pattern. “My Gym’s the first one people face, so we get a lot of challengers,” He said gently. “That’s why I try to keep the Gym mission challenging, but that didn’t stop you from completing it, Ash! Proper job!”

"Thanks! I had fun too!"

“Sure seems like you understand Pokémon real well." Milo patted his belt. "This is gonna be a doozy of a battle! I’ll have to Gigantamax my Pokémon if I want to win!”

That caused a shock to everyone in the crowd.  "Milo's known for being easygoing, heck, the only times he ever uses Gigantamax is during the Champions Cup." Hop crossed his hands and leaned forward. "Now this is worth it!"

"Who is this Ash?" Howie found themselves asking.

And with that, they turned away from each other and went to their respective sides, before grabbing their Pokeballs. Dan got to the side of the battlefield before announcing the rules. "The battle between Challenger Ash and Gym Leader Milo is about to begin! The Gym Leader may use only two Pokemon, while the Gym Challenger is allowed to use as many as they prefer! Furthermore, only the Challenger gets to substitute Pokemon! Trainers, bring out your Pokemon!"

The noise of the crowd started to rise, seeing the battle was about to begin. Milo grinned at the sight of Rookidee emerging from Ash's side before calling out for a green cotton Pokémon whose yellow leaves formed a shawl drifted down in front of him, winking at its opponent.

'Eldegoss, the Cotton Bloom Pokemon. Grass Type. Eldegoss's cotton fluff acts like a cushion to protect its head from attacks, and the seeds attached to its cotton fluff are full of nutrients.'

"Challenger Ash chooses his Rookidee, while Gym Leader Milo surprisingly brings out his Eldegoss! This is unseen before, folks!"

"It's true that I usually bring out and Dynamax one of my dear Eldegoss last, but you're a special case! I feel like I'll be letting you down by not facing you with one of my stronger teams!" Milo explained cheerfully. "So Eldegoss, use Magical Leaf!"

"Just like those Skwovet, Rookidee. Rock Smash!" Rookidee's wings glowed red as she took to the air as multiple light green glowing leaves were fired from Eldegoss' glowing shawl. "Peck!"

Rookidee's beak glowed white before connecting with Eldegoss, but Milo was unfazed - even with Eldegoss taking several hits. "As a Grass-Type, Eldegoss is weak to Flying-Type attacks like Peck." Ball Guy commented. "Does Gym Leader Milo have a plan to fight back?"

"Is it just me, or does it seem like Rookidee's getting slower?" Howie pointed out to Rookidee, whose movements seemed sluggish.

"Eldegoss' ability must be Cotton Down." Hop thought back to every time Rookidee landed an attack, parts of the cotton on Eldegoss' head would have fallen off. "Those cotton spores must be restricting her movement." His eyes widened. "Milo's counting on Rookidee to slow itself out, so it can-"

"Now, Eldegoss, Sing!"

"Outstanding! Although Rookidee avoids taking damage and dishes out several blows, Eldegoss manages to put her opponent to sleep!" Rookidee was too close to avoid the sound notes, and promptly skidded a few feet in front of Eldegoss like a rock. "Will this be a key factor to Gym Leader Milo's win?"

"Splendid, Eldegoss! Now let's see what they do, use Rapid Spin." Eldegoss nodded, spinning rapidly as she tackled Rookidee, her body glowing red with every hit. 

"Rapid Spin raises their speed if it connects." Howie noted. "If Rookidee doesn't wake up soon, it'll be unable to land any attacks soon."

Ash to get more frustrated as Rookidee was taking more and more hits. “Come on, Rookidee! You gotta wake up!"

But it seemed like Rookidee wouldn't awake. Just when Milo ordered a final Magical Leaf, Ash gasped in surprise as Rookidee became encased in a bright blue light, In the split seconds that followed, she grew larger, her wings and tail elongated as they deflected the attack, her talons becoming sharper, and the crest of feathers on her head become much more pronounced. Letting out an angry caw, her beak glowed white and elongated before charging at the startled Grass-Type.

"Would you look at that! Rookidee - no, Corvisquire - is coming back with a Plucking vengeance!" 

"Pollen Puff!" Milo panicked. The cotton ball on Eldegoss' head glowed purple before it swung its head and hurled it forward. Although surprised at the purple mass that exploded in her face, Corvisquire plowed through and dealt the finishing blow.

"Eldegoss is unable to continue! Corvisquire is victorious!" 

"You were awesome, Corvisquire!" Ash praised Rookidee's evolution, before pulling out his Rotomphone.

'Corvisquire, the Raven Pokemon. Flying Type. Over the course of many tough battles, they learn to assess the strength of prospective opponents before engaging them, having been seen to throw rocks at their opponents or use vines to entangle them.'

"And Corvisquire takes the win with a surprising evolution! Can Gym Leader Milo clutch this battle back?"

"Woohoo! We’re not going to be done in that easy! We’re tough as weeds!" He looked down at his belt, pausing between two Ultra Balls. "Time to show you our harvest! Go, Flapple!"

A small green worm-like Pokemon with a cream underside emerged, but what made it stand out was that it seemed to have donned parts of an apple as armor - there was a piece that covered the top of its head like a helmet, while its arms and tails were covered in pieces that seemed to help it fly.

'Flapple, the Apple Wing Pokemon. Grass/Dragon Type. It flies on wings of apple skin and spits a powerful acid capable of causing chemical burns. It can also change its shape into that of an apple to hide itself from predators and prey.'

"Corviquire, can you continue?" A defiant caw was her reply. "Good! We're staying in! Use Pluck!" 

"Acid Spray!" Corvisquire charged in with her glowing beak, only to be met with a surprisingly large glob of purple acid, far beyond she or Ash expected from something like Flapple. As she tried to get rid of the glob that drenched her face, Flapple's body glowed green as it shot up in the air, before folding up and diving into a freefall - and knocking her out. "Corvisquire is unable to battle! Flapple is victorious!"

"Although Corvisquire is newly evolved, Flapple's Grav Apple bonked them gnoggin real hard - just like the late Sir Newton! Who will Challenger Ash choose next?"

"Thanks, Corvisquire. You did your best - we'll take it from here." Ash closed his eyes for a moment before turning back to Pikachu. "Well, buddy. Guess it's your turn."

"And Challenger Ash chooses Pikachu. I wonder, is there some secret underneath those cute electrifying cheeks?"

“I was hoping you would use that Pikachu of yours!” Milo called from across the pitch. “Show me what he can do!”

"Alright." Ash grinned back. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" 

"Acrobatics!"

Both Pokemon charged at each other in glowing bursts, but neither seemed to be able to land a decisive blow. Milo seemed to have noticed this, and ordered a Grav Apple. Pikachu responded with an Iron Tail, smacking it back towards Milo who quickly returned his Pokémon to his ball and activated his Dynamax Band. "Well, you're making us look like amateurs. Come on, then! It’s Gigantamax time - you’re about to be uprooted!” He patted the enlarged Pokeball before launching it into the air with one hand.

Ash gasped as he looked up. A gargantuan apple reappeared, landing with a earth shaking thud before the top broke off to reveal Flapple's head from within while a thick tail burst from behind, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. 

"Pikachu, it's our turn!" Ash grinned as his Dynamax Band glowed, before directing his wrist towards Pikachu.

"And would you look at that!" Ball Guy exclaimed, watching as Pikachu reacted. "Challenger Ash's attempting an unrestrained Dyna - no, Gigantamax! You don't see that nowadays!"

"What? But why doesn't he use his Pokeball?"

"Apparently, Pikachu doesn't like going in it." Hop explained, his eyes watching as Pikachu grew. "Gotta say, I always wondered what would it look like to do a Dynamax like that. It's...incredible!"

Pikachu growled, now matching Flapple in height, though Ash was unsure whether they matched in technique. They couldn't really practice Gigantamax battling - it's not like the stadiums were open for public use, anyway. "This will leave you in shock and awe. It’s our Gigantamax move - G-Max Tartness!" 

Flapple dipped itself inside its apple shell, sending out waves of juice overflowing and swamping the area. Pikachu stumbled as he got a mouthful, shivering as his face contorted to one of horror from the taste.

"Pikachu, let's finish this - G-Max Volt Crash!" 

Pikachu's body sparked as he tried to jump in the air - keyword being tried, dropping back down to the ground like a giant fluffy marshmallow before firing it off.

The crowd roared in excitement as Flapple shrunk down in a burst of red lights, and Ash was momentarily shocked before he remembered that there was an audience. Milo grinned widely as they met in the middle. "That must have been a fulfilling Pokémon battle for you. As proof that you have defeated a Gym Leader for the Gym Challenge, allow me to present you with your very own Grass Badge." 

"Thanks!" He took the small piece of metal and held it up for everyone to see. "I just got, the Grass Badge!"

* * *

"This, was definitely an experience!" Ash exclaimed as he and Hop stepped out, out of his Challenger uniform and looking at his new badge as it glistered in the setting sun. "The Gyms I used to go to aren't as extravagant - that was like the League Conference!" 

"Challenger Ash!" Milo's voice followed "I'll like to congratulate on your victory again. I admit that I don't use those two unless it's for the Champion Cup, so to see you beat them with ease is really surprising."

"It's alright! What matters is we had fun, right Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded happily.

"It's a pleasure." Milo gave them a cheerful grin. "By the way, I noticed your Pikachu seems to have some difficulty battling when it was Gigantamaxed."

"Yeah - we're used to uh, traditional battling than Dynamaxing." Ash scratched the back of is head. "But then again, its not like there's some wild Dynamax Pokemon for us to fight, is there?

Milo looked thoughtful for a moment, before he pulled out his green Rotomphone. "Actually, there are. Have you heard of Dens?"

"Dens?" Ash looked confused as he looked at the image Milo had pulled up - a glowing red circle of stones. 

"Yeah. They're places where one can find wild Dynamax Pokémon, actually. Trainers are usually discouraged to go there, but since you have a Dynamax Band, I see no reason not to tell you about that." Milo put back his Rotomphone. "By the way, the Gym Challenge has a set order, so that means your next stop should be in Hulbury - it’s just beyond a trek past Doraby.”

"Alright." Ash and Hop let it set in for a moment, before getting fired up. "Hulbury, here we come!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howie is based on Katashi Nakamura, the O.C. submitted by Naosh. Google Translate tells me that Katashi means 'how', you get the gist on their translation. (Yes, it's unoriginal, sue me.) I had an inner debate on whether or not to have Ash face off against some of the stronger Pokémon of the Gym Leader, as well as Rookidee's state - then again, Staraptor evolved pretty early as well.  
> Thanks to Cat_in_the_Hat for their new O.C. Spoilers - the story arc in Ballonlea just got slightly longer thanks to them.
> 
> Something I seemed to have also missed about O.C.s are appearances. Unless you have given specific details, usually I'll base your O.C.s appearance around their Pokemon, be it a specific one or from a theme surrounding them. In addition, their hometown is usually where they will debut, unless they're foreigners. If any of you have any specifics, feel free to edit your comments.  
> Finally, and let this be clear - there won't be a fixed uploading schedule for this; this is primarily used to prevent myself from being burnt-out from writing this, and so I could continue with some of my other works. I'm sorry if you're displeased, but this is how it is.


End file.
